186 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



was avoided. In the desert country north of 

 the river a sportsman losing his way would have 

 been in a very serious plight. 



Game was abundant along the river. Rhino- 

 ceroses were very numerous, and we met with 

 elephants on two occasions on our way to the 

 swamp. Lions also appeared to be fairly numer- 

 ous. The Baisa Oryx became less abundant 

 as we went eastward, and its place was taken 

 by the Gerenuk gazelle. The Grevy, or mountain 

 zebra, replaced the Burchell's zebra, which is so 

 abundant in the country to the south. The 

 giraffes near the river appeared to be of a different 

 species from those we had met with farther to 

 the south. The body was smaller, and the 

 yellow colouring was less vivid, and the black 

 patches were darker. We did not shoot a giraffe, 

 though I might have done so on more than one 

 occasion. The animal is interesting and beau- 

 tiful, but no part of it is worth preserving 

 as a trophy. On one occasion a giraffe stood on 

 the other side of some bushes, about 50 yards 

 from me, and looked at me for some time in 

 mild surprise, I being probably the first man 

 the creature had ever seen. 



I do not remember seeing any hartebeest east 

 of the place where we crossed the river. There 

 were a few lesser kudu, and dikdik were very 

 abundant. Impala and water-buck were also 

 fairly numerous, and the impala carried splendid 

 heads. On several occasions I met large numbers 

 of ferocious-looking baboons, which I personally 

 was disposed to treat with respect, but which 

 fled in terror at the approach of any one of the 



