326 
MY BIVOUAC. 
[chap. yiii. 
small open space, where the high grass had been de¬ 
stroyed by the elephants. A quick shot from the little 
Fletcher 24 rifle doubled him up; but, recovering him¬ 
self almost immediately, he was just disappearing? 
when a shot from the left-hand barrel broke his back, 
to the intense delight of my people. We accordingly 
bivouacked for the night, and the fires were soon blazing 
upon a dry plateau of granite rock about seventy feet 
square that I had chosen for a resting place. In the 
saucer-shaped hollows of the rock was good clear water 
from the rain of the preceding day ; thus we had all 
the luxuries that could be desired—fire, food, and 
water. I seldom used a bedstead unless in camp ; thus 
my couch was quickly and simply made upon the hard 
rock, softened by the addition of an armful of green 
boughs, upon which I laid an untanned ox-hide, and 
spread my Scotch plaid. My cap formed my pillow, 
and my handy little Fletcher rifle lay by my side be¬ 
neath the plaid, together with my hunting knife ; these 
faithful friends were never out of reach either by night 
or day. 
The cap was a solid piece of architecture, as may be 
supposed from its strength to resist the weight of the 
head when used as a pillow. It was made by an Arab 
woman in Khartoum, according to my own plan;—the 
substance was about half an inch thick of dome palm 
