722 MR. G. H. GURNEY ON NATURAL HISTORY 
Porcupines were common ancl we constantly used to pick up 
their black and white quills lying on the ground, but they are 
very nocturnal animals and seldom seen. 
Away to the right of our camp at Theki were some high 
wooded hills thickly covered with bush and small forest trees, 
with ravines running down from the summits to the plains 
below ; I was very anxious to explore this ground as I thought 
I might find some fresh animals there, and so on March 30th, 
I started off very early, long before the sun had risen and 
when it was barely light enough to see ; it was bitterly cold 
riding along so early, and it was difficult to believe one was in 
the centre of tropical Africa, and only a very few points from 
the Equator ; directly after leaving camp we came upon a herd 
of Zebra, they looked like grey striped phantoms in the misty 
light and let us get within fifty yards of them before they 
galloped off in a cloud of dust ; crossing a small stream we 
disturbed a savage looking Hyaena, evidently returning from 
his night’s prowl, my gunbearer who saw him first, running 
off, whispered excitedly, “ Simba, simba ” (Lion, lion), and in 
the dim light I could see nothing except a large yellow looking 
object. I fired at it at about eighty yards and on going up 
to it, was disappointed to find I had only killed a Hyaena. 
By 7 o’clock the sun had risen in a glory of crimson and gold, 
and it was not long before we were shedding coats and waist- 
coats as quickly as a couple of hours before we had put them on, 
and half an hour later we were forcibly reminded that we were 
in the tropics and that the sun was an Equatorial one. Half 
way up one of the hills when the bush was beginning to open 
out into patches of forest, we came upon a family party of 
Wart Hogs or Pigs, an enormous old Sow and four half-grown 
young ones ; for sheer repulsiveness and ugliness the Wart 
Hog takes first prize, and when they charge, with their splendid 
tusks gleaming like a white collar round them, their tails held 
stiffly erect, they look most ferocious and are not at all to be 
lightly despised ; we left this little lot in peace and as we 
passed them they trotted off to safer “ cover,” the old Sow, 
followed in single file by her offspring, grunting loudly. There 
were some beautiful Orchids growing on the trees here, one, 
