EN ROUTE FOR EL BO GO I 375 



try and shoot something on the morrow. This produced quite 

 a cheer and chorus of thanks, and the camp, which had been 

 unusually hushed, was now cheery again with their talking. 

 This was a relief to me, as I always like to see the men happy. 

 At the same time it was as well to let them be reminded that 

 I was incurring a good deal of fatigue, which in the weak state 

 of my health was no small strain upon my strength, for their 

 benefit, in my desire to add a liberal supply of meat to the 

 customary ration of grain to which they were entitled, and 

 which is all they would get in most caravans. 



After this I felt it to be a point of honour to kill something 

 the next day, which happened to be the one on which we 

 reached the lake again, and once more camped on its now 

 familiar shores. The country seemied to have little game in 

 it, but after making a round I espied with my glasses an oryx 

 grazing near the shore, and on getting nearer saw that there were 

 two Grevy's zebra with him. The place was bare, but there 

 was an odd shrub or two on the way to them. Leaving Juma, 

 I made a very careful stalk, taking every precaution, as I was 

 specially anxious to be successful. I crawled most of the way, 

 waiting patiently prone whenever they were turned in my 

 direction, and at length, by care and luck, reached the last 

 bush, which was within easy range of the three, all pretty close 

 together. But as I edged round to get a shot, the wary oryx 

 twigged me and set off, the zebras following. Exhausted by 

 my crawl and out of breath, I missed a running shot at the 

 foremost of the latter ; but a chance for a rather long shot 

 which the other gave me, by standing for a moment farther 

 on, I made better use of, the bullet going right through both 

 shoulders, with the result that he staggered and fell. It was 

 just sundown, but luckily camp was not far off; so the plentiful 

 supply of meat was soon brought in and distributed, in fulfil- 

 ment of my promise, to the delight of both the men and 

 myself. 



My side was pretty sore next day as the result of my crawl, 



