WE RUN SHORT OF FOOD 
239 
ten o’clock the sky became overclouded and a little 
rain fell. It was so cold that I had my tent pitched 
when we camped for the mid-day rest, and sat in it 
enveloped in a sweater and rug. An hour afterwards the 
sun came out, and it was so hot I thought I should die. In 
the afternoon I saw an animal which was new to me. It was 
the shape of a ground-squirrel, but about three times the 
size. I saw two pairs of them, and they appeared to be of 
a brown or rabbit colour. This animal made its burrow in 
ant-hills. It was extremely annoying not to have got hold 
of the gun in time to have collected what might have been 
a most interesting, and perhaps unknown, animal. There 
was a magnificent sunset, the sky being streaked with 
gorgeous blood red and orange. At night the guides 
wanted to go back, but I told them they must show us 
the road until dawn on the morrow, when they could then 
leave us if they could swear we should find no difficulty in 
tracing it to Well Wall. 
In the morning, unless I shot something, the men would 
have nothing to eat. I careered in vain after a herd of 
dibitag. I had not fired my rifle for weeks in this miser- 
able game-forsaken country. Just before we were about to 
camp for the rest, a single oryx trotted across the camel 
track in front of us. I jumped out of the saddle and seized 
my rifle, hoping he would stand to have a last look at us. 
Sure enough, when he had got about 150 yards off he stopped 
dead, turned broadside, and stared hard at us. My hand 
shook, as I knew if I hit it meant breakfast for thirty-four 
hungry men. Bang went the rifle ! I made a clean miss. 
I could hardly believe it. Away and away galloped the 
huge antelope. In sheer desperation I pulled the trigger 
on him as he was disappearing in the bushes, now fully 300 
yards away. Providence directed the bullet — luck, fluke, 
call it what you will. Down came the oryx to the ground 
with a crash, and lay with its legs kicking in the air. My 
shikari gave a shout of joy, and rushed towards him, in 
spite of my yells to him to stop. The antelope jumped up 
