From a photograph by Kermit Roosevelt. 
and when we took the skin we almost al¬ 
ways took the meat too, for the porters, 
although they had their rations of rice, de¬ 
pended for much of their well-being on our 
success with the rifle. 
These rides through the wild, lovely 
country, with only my silent black follow¬ 
ers, had a peculiar charm. When the sky 
was overcast it was cool and pleasant, for 
it is a high country; as soon as the sun ap¬ 
peared J:he vertical tropic rays made the air 
quiver above the scorched land. As we 
passed down a hill-side we brushed through 
aromatic shrubs and the hot, pleasant 
fragrance enveloped us. When we came 
to a nearly dry watercourse, there would 
be beds of rushes, beautiful lilies and 
lush green plants with staring flowers; 
and great fig-trees, or flat-topped mimosas. 
In many of these trees there were sure to 
be native beehives; these were sections of 
hollow logs hung from the branches; they 
formed striking and characteristic features 
of the landscape. Wherever there was any 
moisture there were flowers, brilliant of 
hue and many of them sweet of smell; and 
birds of numerous kinds abounded. When 
we left the hills and the wooded water¬ 
courses we might ride hour after hour across 
the barren desolation of the flats, while 
herds of zebra and hartebeests stared at us 
through the heat haze. Then the zebra, 
with shrill, barking neighs, would file off 
across the horizon, or the high-withered 
hartebeests, snorting and bucking, would 
rush off in a confused mass, as unreasoning 
panic succeeded foolish confidence. If I 
shot at anything, vultures of several kinds, 
and the tall, hideous marabout storks, gath¬ 
ered before the skinners were through with 
their work; they usually stayed at a wary 
distance, but the handsome ravens, glossy- 
hued with white napes, big-billed, long¬ 
winged, and short-tailed, came round more 
familiarly. 
I rarely had to take the trouble to stalk 
527 
