XVI EN ROUTE FOR EL BOGOI ^77 



up even with the slow pace of the caravan, though later on 

 this wore off and I was able to hunt. 



Where we had stopped to rest this morning during the 

 march was a party of flamingoes. I watched them through 

 my glasses (they were not far off), and was much interested 

 in observing their curious method of procuring their food. 

 They were in very shallow water ; putting their heads down 

 and beaks in the mud, they worked their feet about with a 

 dancing movement, their knees swinging outward and together 

 again alternately after the fashion of a " Punch and Judy " 

 man clapping his cymbals with his elbows, the while waltzing 

 round and round, the head acting as pivot. When they fly, 

 the scarlet wings show with beautiful effect, the immensely 

 long necks being stretched out to their full extent. There 

 were many pelicans about, too, as well as other water-birds of 

 various kinds. On such occasions I always thought what a 

 pity it is one cannot have a camera that would photograph 

 what one sees through a good pair of field-glasses, and as 

 handy to use as they are. It is not possible to get near 

 enough to wild creatures to show anything distinct enough to 

 have any value in a picture taken with an ordinary hand- 

 camera ; and even if it were, one capable of taking a negative 

 of sufficient size to be of much use is comparatively clumsy, 

 troublesome to carry, and difficult to get out at a moment's 

 notice. A day or two later I came across wonderful armies of 

 these birds and attempted a snap-shot ; but the result was, as 

 usual, a failure. 



The last sentence in my diary under this date (13th) runs 

 as follows : — " Just as I had finished writing the above entry 

 there was a distinct shock of earthquake." It is a curious 

 coincidence that this was, almost to a day, the date of the 

 rather severe earthquake experienced on the coast the year 

 before. 



Two days after the above occurrence we took a short cut 

 across a hilly promontory which I had noted on our way up, 



