222 
ON SAFARI 
(sometimes half a gale by afternoon), but always 
following the sun towards west at dusk. 
Temperature at dawn, 56 degrees—one day as low as 
50 degrees ; temperature at noon, 80 to 90 degrees 
—once or twice as high as 98 degrees in our tents. 
On many evenings were magnificent displays of 
electric flash-lights in the heavens, always, however, at 
one particular spot on any one evening. 
One night shortly after “ lights-out,” my tent caught 
fire through my having carelessly knocked out some 
live tobacco ash. Half-an-hour later, an asphyxiating 
“stythe” awoke me, and having relit the lamp, I was 
THE DACE ( Leuciscus ) OF ATHI. 
seeking the cause thereof, when bang went a cordite 
cartridge at my feet; my khaki cartridge-bag was 
smouldering, and next moment flames leaped up the 
canvas wall. I sang out for help, and meanwhile got 
to work with boots, sun-helmet, whatever came handy, 
to stamp out the fire. The night-watch was smart 
enough on the spot, bringing buckets of water, and 
though amid repeated explosions of cartridges I had 
already extinguished the flames, the men promptly 
deluged my bed and belongings ! Considerable force is 
developed by the explosion of a cordite cartridge, even 
when unconfined in a barrel, for several of the remain¬ 
ing cartridges were bulged and twisted. The bullets, 
however, of those that had gone off, lay about harm¬ 
lessly. Note, that there were no ticks or other vermin 
in my tent after that accident! 
