VII 
JOURNEY TO WEB BE SHABELEH RIVER 
179 
of limestone, and in front and at the top of the small precipice 
Avere piled thorn-branches breast-high, so that I could fire over 
them. The front of the box Avas other - wise quite open, and the 
field of vieAv embraced tAvo right angles. 
We made this retreat in an hour, and I took up a position, 
as night fell, in the boAver Avith my tAvo hunters Geli and Hassan. 
We carried my three rifles and spare ammunition, and four 
more men brought my bedding, blankets for my hunters, a 
lamp, matches, and my Avater-bottle full of coffee. We did not 
forget a Avaterproof sheet each, to be used in case of rain. 
My four carriers had also brought a donkey, which they tied 
up to a block on a slab of limestone shelving doAvn into the pool 
on the farther side, for we hoped thereby to attract lions ; the 
carriers then went off to camp, and left us squatting silently in 
our shelter. 
I describe our arrangements thus in detail because I have 
in this Avay sat out for game on scores of nights, and one descrip- 
tion Avill serve for all. There is one thing I never omit, AAdien 
about to spend a night in one of these jungle shelters, or Avhen 
marching by night, and that is to decorate the centre rib of 
each of my game rifles Avith a long strip of Avhite foolscap 
paper, to assist the aim ; for, however good the moonlight may 
be, it is impossible to see the tiny ivory fore-sight at night. 
I sat over this pool on five successive nights. On the 
first three hysenas came, but no lion or rhinoceros. The 
hyaenas invariably came silently doAvn to drink till they saw 
the living bait, and then at once took fright and galloped aAA r ay ; 
on the succeeding four nights I therefore dispensed with the 
bait. For two hours, after the moon rose, several wild ducks 
kept us interested by playing about in the water and quacking, 
quite unaware of our presence. I then went to sleep. We 
savv nothing on the next evening, and I slept all night in the 
shelter, Avaking up covered with dew at daylight, and returning, 
rather stiff Avith the exposure, to camp. 
On the third night I Avas roused by Geli, wdiose eyes I 
could see full of excitement in the seini-darkness; and still crouch- 
ing below* my screen of branches, I could hear the wallowing of 
some heavy animal in the soft mud at the water’s edge. We 
were all on the alert as I gently felt for the four-bore which 
Hassan shoved into my hands. On cautiously poking my 
head above the screen, I saw the great form of a rhinoceros 
standing motionless as a carved sphinx in the moonlight, 
