HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 67 
est animal, is not great. We march during the earlier part 
of the night; then there is a halt to feed and water the 
animals ; after which we push on again till about an hour 
after sunrise. During the day we get what protection we can 
from the fierce rays of the sun, by sheltering under mimosas 
and acacias, or by making a rough covering of mats. The 
drinking-places in the desert are few and far between; and, 
when we come upon one of these welcome oases, a special 
day of rest is granted. But even then it is not always easy 
to take possession of them. For they are often occupied by 
nomad tribes, who are only too ready to resort to arms in de- 
fence of them, and can only be appeased by a liberal use of 
“‘backsheesh”. The drinking-places are often as much as 
sixty miles apart; and since this means a three- or four-day 
journey for our slow-moving caravan, it may easily be im- 
agined how great a quantity of water has to be carried with 
us. It is kept in leather bottles made of goat- or ox-hide ; 
and so precious is this fluid, upon which hang all our lives, 
that it is difficult to think that it is nothing more remarkable 
than plain water. 
However carefully we organise our expedition, it is 
inevitable that many of our captives should succumb before 
we reach our journey’s end. The terrible heat kills even 
those animals whose natural home is in the country. The 
powerful male baboons are very liable to sunstroke, which 
kills them in half an hour; and any weak point in their con- 
stitution is sure to become aggravated during the journey. 
Whether this is due to the terror and strain which they under- 
went at their capture, or to being confined in cramped cages, 
I cannot say. But the fact remains that not more than half 
of them arrive safely at their destination, despite our utmost 
care. 
The long anxiety of these weary journeys is seldom wholly 
unrelieved by amusing incidents. One such incident occurred 
one day as we were passing through a valley in Northern 
Abyssinia. As the caravan was drawing up at a well, 
ce 
