266 
THE NEW AFRICA 
The boys cut the reptile open, and thrust their feet in 
amongst the intestines, remarking that this was an infallible 
remedy to keep them from being pricked by thorns on the road. 
The animal’s intestines were perfectly empty, not even as much 
as a scale from a fish occupying the alimentary canal from one 
end to the other, Probably the beast had just wakened from 
hibernating through the winter, a fact that never struck us 
before; which also probably explained the reason why we saw so 
few crocodiles on our long journey constantly associated with 
water. 
Towards evening we were lucky in purchasing a large basket 
of corn for a cotton shirt, from a native living in the reeds; and 
this kept us sparingly provided with food for a couple of days. 
The country we now passed through was swampy, covered 
with little islets or knolls of higher dry land, on one of which we 
camped for the night, thankful to be sheltered by our nets from 
the clouds of mosquitoes that plagued the boys all night. The 
river had widened considerably, and now, even from the trees we 
climbed to look from, the opposite bank was not visible. All 
that could be seen was a vast plain of reeds dotted here and 
there with occasional islands and rushes fringing the edge of 
the reeds. 
Our route continued over wet and marshy soil, of much the 
same character as we had already passed, with knolls growing 
in the wet flats, till at last, tired of the everlasting dampness, 
we struck out into the sand-belts on our right, hoping to keep a 
line near enough to be within reach of water and yet have the 
comfort of walking dry. 
I shot a beautiful bush-buck ram similar to those of Natal, 
but somewhat smaller in stature, with many more white spots 
scattered over his sides, clothed also with a lighter red hair. The 
bush-buck, Tragelaphus sylvaticus , spite of his moderate stature, 
is a perfect hero in courage, and when wounded not to be 
approached with indifference, as they defend themselves effec¬ 
tively with their sharp horns. Many instances are related by 
hunters of the straits they have been put to when incautiously 
