420 
RICHARN REPORTED AS FILLED. [chap. xv. 
of Mahommed while lie proceeded alone to a neigh¬ 
bouring vill age. Shortly after his departure Mahommed 
heard the report of a gun in that direction about half 
a mile distant, and leaving his charge, he ran towards 
the spot. On arrival, he found the village deserted, 
and on searching the neighbourhood and vainly calling 
Eicharn, he came upon a large pool of blood opposite 
several huts ; lying upon the blood was the broken 
ramrod of Eicharns gun. After searching without 
success, he had returned with the melancholy report 
of this disaster. I was very fond of Eicharn, he had 
followed me faithfully for years, and with fewer faults 
than most of his race, he had exhibited many sterling 
qualities. I waited for two days in this spot, searching 
for him in all directions. On one occasion my men 
saw a number of men and women howling in a village 
not far from the place where the accident had hap¬ 
pened ; on the approach of my people they fled into 
the jungles ; thus, there was no doubt that Eicharn 
must have shot a man before he had been killed, as 
the natives were mourning for the dead. I was much 
distressed at this calamity; my faithful Eicharn was 
dead, and the double-barrelled Purdey that he carried 
was lost; this belonged to my friend Oswell of South 
African and Lake Ngami celebrity; it was a much- 
prized weapon with which he had hunted for five years 
all the heavy game of Africa with such untiring zeal 
that much of the wood of the stock was eaten away 
by the “ wait a bit ” thorns in his passage on horse¬ 
back at full speed through the jungles. He had very 
kindly lent me this old companion of his sports, and I 
had entrusted it to Eicharn as my most careful man; 
both man and gun were now lost. 
Having vainly searched for two days, and my men 
having seen several village dogs with their mouths and 
feet covered with blood, we came to the conclusion 
that his body had been dragged into the grass jungle 
by the natives, and there, concealed, it had been dis¬ 
covered and devoured by the dogs. 
