XVI 
EN ROUTE FOR EL BOGOI 
377 
up even with the slow pace of the caravan, though later on 
this wore off and I was able to hunt. 
Where we had stopped to rest this morning during the 
march was a party of flamingoes. I watched them through 
my glasses (they were not far off), and was much interested 
in observing their curious method of procuring their food. 
They were in very shallow water ; putting their heads down 
and beaks in the mud, they worked their feet about with a 
dancing movement, their knees swinging outward and together 
again alternately after the fashion of a “ Punch and Judy ” 
man clapping his cymbals with his elbows, the while waltzing 
round and round, the head acting as pivot. When they fly, 
the scarlet wings show with beautiful effect, the immensely 
long necks being stretched out to their full extent. There 
were many pelicans about, too, as well as other water-birds of 
various kinds. On such occasions I always thought what a 
pity it is one cannot have a camera that would photograph 
what one sees through a good pair of field-glasses, and as 
handy to use as they are. It is not possible to get near 
enough to wild creatures to show anything distinct enough to 
have any value in a picture taken with an ordinary hand- 
camera ; and even if it were, one capable of taking a negative 
of sufficient size to be of much use is comparatively clumsy, 
troublesome to carry, and difficult to get out at a moment’s 
notice. A day or two later I came across wonderful armies of 
these birds and attempted a snap-shot ; but the result was, as 
usual, a failure. 
The last sentence in my diary under this date (13th) runs 
as follows:—“ Just as I had finished writing the above entry 
there was a distinct shock of earthquake.” It is a curious 
coincidence that this was, almost to a day, the date of the 
rather severe earthquake experienced on the coast the year 
before. 
Two days after the above occurrence we took a short cut 
across a hilly promontory which I had noted on our way up, 
