186 MORE SHOOTING. 



sent the guinea-fowls, intended for our dinner in 

 the evening, to others less fortunate than ourselves. 

 As my particular one had been boiled in the same 

 cooking pot with the rest, and the bit of stick that 

 had been placed upon it as a mark, being lost, I 

 thought, of course, that all must go to the dogs ; 

 but silence upon the subject was the order of the day, 

 nothing being said about it by us, and no questions 

 asked by the others, so the birds, both the Christian 

 and Islam, w r ere gladly received and speedily 

 devoured, by our hungry and unscrupulous friends. 

 The next morning I proposed hunting again, and 

 the same party as yesterday started, but as we could 

 get no opportunity of approaching the antelopes 

 near enough for a shot, Himyah, of whose dexterity 

 as a marksman I had had honourable evidence the 

 day before, tried this morning his skill upon me, 

 but fortunately, having no rest for his matchlock, 

 the ball went some few inches over my head. The 

 circumstances that occasioned this were most sin- 

 gular and accidental. Before us w r as a herd of 

 about twenty Wydiddoo antelopes ; their white 

 faces, yellow sides, and black straight horns, just 

 visible over the tall grass, among which they were 

 feeding. It was to outflank these, and take them 

 on whichever side they should dart when they 

 discovered us, that directed the plan of our 

 approach. We both stooped low upon the ground, 

 and crept cautiously along so as to be lost entirely 

 to sight among the grass. In this tiresome manner 



