378 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
interfere, we shall not have a guide left to show us 
the next water, which I have every reason to believe 
is far off. The game is wild and wary here, and 
giraffes shyer than I ever before saw them. 
June 3rd (Fidl moon ).—I am now outspanned at a 
vley of rain water, the immense Salt-pan, nine days’ 
journey long, and two broad, fully in view, and any¬ 
thing more dreary and desolate I never conceived. 
I have just returned, with one Masara, from a long 
survey of the surrounding country. As far as the 
eye can gaze there is nothing but sand, and not a 
living thing to be seen but a few wildebeests, an 
odd unhappy-looking springbuck or two, and nine 
male ostriches, which I saw speeding along in search 
of a less barren soil. I have come along the last 
five days very satisfactorily, winding about to avoid 
occasional hills, but not much out of the right line of 
country, and I shall take every advantage of the moon 
to cross the pan. I am quite at the east end of it, and 
a night and a day will, I hope, see me over it, and then 
ere long I may hope to come across a few straggling 
elephants. I laid in plenty of flesh yesterday — a 
buffalo, quagga, and blue wildebeest — and no less 
than twelve Masaras are doing their best to demolish 
a good share of it. I leave the Meea river, which 
is now dry, a little to the east, and hope to come 
to the Qualeba to-morrow night: this part of the 
road is dreary and monotonous enough, but I hope 
it will lead to something better. At all events, after 
coming so far, I will persevere, though I have lots of 
