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several places was Ij^-incli thick, and I cut off some strips 
to carry home to be made into ^^shamboks" or riding 
whips. The Caffres highly delighted with their prize, and 
carried nearly every scrap of the meat into camp. Kemp 
busy all day in running down the fat, of which we were 
much in want for frying purposes. The meat of the 
hippopotamus rather hard, but excellent in flavour and 
extremely rich, and made a really first-rate curry. I 
went out hunting during the afternoon, but found no big 
game on this side the river, and returned just in time to 
see the operation of cooking the foot of a hippopotamus 
for our Sunday breakfast to-morrow. The foot measures 
at the tread about 18 inches in diameter, and was cut off 
at about the knee joint. A hole was dug in the ground 
about 2 feet deep and 2 feet 6 inches across, and a huge 
fire piled over it ; when this was burnt down a layer of 
green boughs was placed on the ashes, on them was laid 
the foot (the skin tied up tightly where cut off the leg), 
then another layer of boughs, the earth put back in the 
hole, and another large fire lighted on the top of all 
which was kept going for about six hours, and then 
allowed to die away, the heat of the ashes lasting all 
night. I found two natives had come into camp during 
my absence, and were willing to go on with us as bearers 
which was good news, as it made us easy about one pony's 
load. They told us of two or three parties of natives 
hunting the neighbourhood carefully for elephants, so 
that there is little chance of my seeing any. 
August 10th, Sunday. Went down to the river for an 
early bath, and came back as Dubois was taking the sea- 
cow's foot out of the oven for breakfast ; it turned out 
remarkably good eating, a little like calf's head. Sunday 
our day of rest as usual from travelling or hunting. E. 
busy mending, and cooking our Sunday dinner which was 
generally rather better than on week-days. One of the 
