RESIDENCE AT SOCCATOO AND MAGARIA. 
245 
and my coat, which is a striped printed dressing-gown, draw the 
attention of all the women, young and old, who beg always a piece 
of the same to tie round their heads : all good things, they say, we 
have got. They call me the big Christian, and my servant Richard 
the little Christian : my old name of Abdulla is seldom used, ex- 
cept by those who knew me when I was here before, and that 
only to my face. At 10 A. M. arrived at Magaria. My friend 
Malem Moodie was not at home ; but I took up my quarters at 
my old house ; and Moodie’s wife, the one that lives here (for he 
has four wives and sixteen concubines), sent me plenty of milk 
and doura. Moodie arriving, I told him 1 had come to remain a 
few days to shoot, and I wanted a man to show me the ground : 
he soon got me one, and I had every thing ready to start next 
morning. 
Saturday, 10th. — A little after day-light left Magaria, and 
riding through between a number of plantations of cotton on the 
low ground, which had been covered during the rains, we came on 
to the rice ground, which is now covered with fine green grass, 
and has several small lakes and pools of water formed by the 
ancient beds of the river. The sides of the lakes and pools were 
swampy for a considerable distance, so that there was no getting 
within reach of the birds with small shot. They consisted of the 
white and gray pelican, the Muscovy duck, Egyptian goose, ducks, 
widgeons, and snipes; the heron, adjutant, ibis, and a small white 
crane were numerous. On the low flat were feeding, amongst the 
herds of bullocks, five or six of the large red antelopes, between the 
size of the common antelope and the nylghau, of a red colour, about 
as high as a small ass, with large thick horns, called by the Arabs 
the hamoria, and by the people marea. I did not look after them, 
as there was little cover, but rode over to the north side of the flat, 
where the river lies, expecting to find plenty of game and plenty 
of cover. On approaching through the flats, and within about a 
