OSTRICHES 
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go to a tobe, or ‘ clothes/ Next morning I went down to 
the river-bed, Gonsali, to look for spoor. I walked along 
the river-bed for several miles, seeing old elephant spoor, 
some fresh ‘ rhino ’ spoor, and that of one or two lions. W e 
next climbed a high hill, overlooking the river, from which 
we got a good view of the country, but saw no game. 
I came home by a very rough route, through nullahs 
covered with rock and stones. In the river-bed I found 
some beautiful clear water in the hollows of the rock, at 
one of which I knelt down determined to have a good 
drink, when, ugh ! I found it fearfully salt. The water in 
a ^ well ’ near camp becomes perfectly black when agitated, 
and smells very strongly of soot. It was most disagreeable 
to wash in, and to drink it would have been certain death. 
Marvellous to relate ! my rifle which my shikari threw up in 
the air when tossed by the rhinoceros escaped compara- 
tively uninjured, with the exception of a few scratches and 
a large indentation of the file-like ridge running between 
the barrels. 
In the afternoon I went out and had another long walk, 
but saw nothing. The day after we pottered about in the 
river-bed among a perfect maze of ^ rhino ’ tracks, and after 
following one, which left the river, for upwards of four 
hours, we ultimately lost it in thick grass. Coming home, 
we saw a splendid cock ostrich, in beautiful plumage, and 
two hens, on a small piece of open ground, but, as usual, 
they made off before I could get within range of them, I 
found elephant spoor two days old all over the country, 
and sent my guide and pony after it, to see if he could 
make out where threy had all cleared off to. Next morning 
we struck camp and marched to a place called Biermuddo 
(the Black Water Hole), over rough stony ground covered 
with the everlasting ^ wait-a-bit ^ thorn-bushes and very 
little grass. 
About 9 a.m., as we walked along, I saw some old wart 
hogs, with some squeakers ; but just as I was in the act of 
taking my Express, I saw a larger pig-like animal, in the 
