UNCOMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 
121 
a long shot at a fine doe, which we eventually bagged 
after a long chase. We were kept awake in the night 
by the dogs fighting wolves, and turned out once, 
thinking we heard buffaloes drinking, but the sound 
proved to be only running water. 
lbth. — Off long before daylight down the river 
after sea-cows. I scrambled into a tree to see over 
the reeds, and got a shot, and though my gun hung 
fire, I struck him fairly, hearing the bullet pat. While 
waiting for it to rise, the rain came on furiously, and 
continued all day. 
Anything more miserable than our situation can 
hardly be conceived. I made a kind of awning for 
my Kaffirs out of my large blanket, and they were 
comparatively snug. The ground was saturated with 
rain, all my traps wet and unwholesome, and my 
tent had begun to leak. This kind of life is suf¬ 
ficiently hard in fine weather, but in the drenching 
rain one gets in Africa it is positively unbearable, and 
enough to give the most light-hearted fellow a fit of 
the blues. As I had no cooking utensils of any kind 
except a kettle, all I could do was to roast my meat 
on a stick. 
16 th [Sunday ).— I was lying in my little 91b. tent 
enjoying Byron’s poems, and meaning to have a 
day of rest, when the Amatongas came in a large 
body and were most importunate that I should go 
out to shoot them some meat, as they were very 
hungry; and there came also a lot of pretty girls to 
back their entreaties, bringing me small presents of 
