Wkamba at Kilimakiu. 
From a photograph by Edmund Heller. 
and another more dangerous under different The moon rose at eight and we started as 
conditions. If it had been a lion instead of soon 1 as she was above the horizon. We did 
a rhino, my first bullet would, I believe, not take the horses, because there was no 
have knocked all the charge out of it; but water where we were going, and further- 
the vitality of the huge pachyderm was so more we did not like to expose them to a 
great, its mere bulk counted for so much, possible attack by lions. The march out 
that even such a hard-hitting rifle as my by moonlight was good fun, for though I 
double Holland—than which I do not be- had been out all day, I had been riding, not 
lieve there exists a better weapon for heavy walking, and so was not tired. A hundred 
game—could not stop it outright, although porters went with us so as to enable us to do 
either of the wounds inflicted would have the work quickly and bring back to camp 
been fatal in a few seconds. the skins and all the meat needed, and these 
Leaving a couple of men with the dead porters carried water, food for breakfast, 
rhino, to protect it from the Wkamba by day and what little was necessary for a one- 
and the lions by night, we rode straight to night camp. We tramped along in single 
camp, which we reached at sunset. It was file under the moonlight, up and down the 
necessary to get to work on the two dead hills, and through the scattered thorn forest, 
beasts as soon as possible in order to be sure Kermit and Medlicott went first, and struck 
of preserving their skins. Heller was the such a pace that after an hour we had to 
man to be counted on for this task. He it halt them so as to let the tail end of the file 
was who handled all the skin, who, in other of porters catch up. Then Captain Slatter 
words, was making the expedition of per- and I set a more decorous pace, keeping the 
manent value so far as big game was con- porters closed up in line behind us. In an- 
cemed; and no work at any hour of the day other hour we began to go down a long 
or night ever came amiss to him. He had slope toward a pin-point of light in the dis- 
already trained eight Wkamba porters to tance which we knew was the fire by the 
act as skinners under his supervision. On rhinoceros. The porters, like the big chil- 
hearing of our success, he at once said that dren they were, felt in high feather, and 
we ought to march out to the game that began to chant to an accompaniment of 
night so as to get to work by daylight, whistling and horn-blowing as we tramped 
Moreover, we were not comfortable at through the dry grass which was flooded 
leaving only two men with each carcass, for with silver by the moon, now high in the 
lions were both bold and plentiful. heavens. 
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