3IO ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



behind the high bank across the river, its level rays shining full 

 upon us, rendering us conspicuous from the river, while prevent- 

 ing our seeing in that direction. Shebane had just gone a little 

 way off (perhaps a dozen yards) along the brink and taken off 

 his clothes to wash himself, a thing I had never known him do 

 before when with me ; but, my attention being then taken up 

 with what I was doing, I took no notice of him. I was still 

 looking down when I heard a cry of alarm, and, raising my 

 head, got a glimpse of the most ghastly sight I ever witnessed. 

 There was the head of a huge crocodile out of the water, just 

 swinging over towards the deep with my poor Swahili boy in 

 its awful jaws, held across the middle of his body like a fish in 

 the beak of a heron. He had ceased to cry out, and with one 

 horrible wriggle, a swirl and a splash all disappeared. One 

 could do nothing. It was over ; Shebane was gone. The men 

 soon came swarming down (some one having given the alarm) 

 to see, some with guns ; one fool asked for boats. There was 

 nothing to be done, but sadly to pick up the ownerless clothes. 

 I felt truly sad and sorry for my servant, and the dreadful 

 incident had an insupportably depressing effect on me. A 

 melancholy New Year's Day indeed ! 



Shebane had been my " boy " for two years, having accom- 

 panied me in that capacity on both my journeys into this 

 region. He had learnt my ways and was a good and cheerful 

 servant, so that it can be understood how much I missed him. 

 I now learnt that it was no uncommon thing here for a native 

 to be taken off the banks by these loathsome reptiles, and a 

 man was actually so taken while we were in Kere. 



The next morning Labugo came to see me, but brought 

 no interpreter, so we could do little but look at each other. 

 My first impression of him is thus described in my diary : — 

 " He is a very tall man ; does not seem intelligent, no expres- 

 sion, looks neither pleasant nor surly, merely apathetic." There 

 was nothing chiefly about his bearing, nor did his people seem 

 to regard him with awe nor treat him with much respect. He 



