89 
paper when practising at a mark, I cannot apparently hit 
the game in the right spot, or else, as I sometimes think, 
they go away and we lose them though mortally wounded. 
I have seen the impala shot through the heart and yet go 
away, and give us trouble to find him though stone dead. 
Enjoyed our buffalo marrow bones for supper. The Caffres 
roast and lay open the bones in a most artistic way, 
and seldom spoil any of the marrow in the operation, 
though they only have a blunt axe to work with. The 
fireflies appeared this evening in numbers, and were a 
pretty sight as they darted about the reeds and bushes by 
the water. Next day I settled to have one more try for 
the rhinoceros, though I felt we ought to be moving on 
homewards; and in the morning we found poor Charger," 
Woodroffe's pony, lying dead near the camp, a warning to 
us not to delay too long; but E. wouldn't hear of going 
away till I had at least hunted here once more, and wished 
to remain for another week at this camp. A terribly hot 
day for walking, and I didn't see any rhinoceros. An 
unsuccessful skirmish with some buffalo, in which I got 
separated from Dubois and the hunters, being left with 
two of the new Caffres who couldn't understand a word I 
said; so gave up the chase, and very tired and footsore 
returned to camp feeling regularly done up, and that the 
hard work, the sun, bad living, and sore feet, were 
beginning to tell on our powers of walking. 
August 2\st. Moved the camp soon after daylight, 
intending to get over the ground in the cool. I was 
a-head as usual, and saw some hippopotami blowing in a 
pool of the river, and going down to the water I fired two 
or three shots at them. Presently Dubois and the hunters 
came up, and after a few more shots we succeeded in 
bagging a splendid bull specimen with a fine set of tusks : 
after coming up and floating dead, he sank again under a 
large rock, and we made several attempts to stir him up 
