Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



leisure for hunting later on when the grass was 

 down. 



At the beginning of February I judged that 

 the state of the country warranted my commencing 

 operations, and accordingly went out to a small 

 village on the banks of a stream. I had, since 

 my return to Nigeria, collected my Yoruba soldier, 

 Ajala, my interpreter boy, Bakari, and the King 

 of Kiama's hunter. Everything, therefore, presaged 

 success. 



The bush was still somewhat dense, but my 

 first day I bagged three duiker; I also put up 

 a herd of water-buck, but though I ran on their 

 tracks till I was completely done up, I failed to 

 get a shot. 



My second day I shot an oribi fairly early, 

 but saw nothing more ; for some reason the bush 

 seemed deserted. That reason I was soon to meet. 



About midday I was returning to camp for 

 lunch; my ordinary hunter was not out, but 

 a native of the village where I was camped had 

 taken his place. I was nearly home; the heat 

 was intense, and though I had nothing on my 

 body but a thin vest, I felt as if I was in a Turkish 

 bath. Under these circumstances I broke through 

 my rule of always carrying my '500 Express my- 

 self, and handed it to Ajala behind. The villager 

 was carrying the little buck on his head; I had 

 hit it rather far back, and its entrails were hanging 



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