362 TlMEHRI. 
enjoyed and fully appreciated throughout the whole 
trip. 
The one drawback in the day's hunting, had been the 
bursting, while being fired from the boat, of one of the 
barrels of a double-barrelled muzzle-loader belonging to 
one of the men ; but luckily no injury resulted to an) one, 
unexpected and unallowed for as was this departure 
from our programme. The other barrel, however, 
throughout the trip did good service ; though it was 
thenceforth regarded as '•' suspect," and was carefully 
granted a certain amount of " latitude." 
Early the next morning, the chase for waterhaas began. 
The first operation, repeated every morning on starting, was 
the propitiation of the river-god by the captain, the senior 
SEARS, who, I suppose with that object, always sprinkled a 
little rum in the water on each side of the boat for good 
luck, at the same time anointing his eyes " to make him 
see clear" — an operation that generally brought forth 
the remark from another Sears that " he knew a better 
place for it than that." The boats were slowly paddled 
close to the bush, while the dogs and one man drove the 
oame. Several beasts were started, but ineffectually, until 
at last one large boar was shot after an exciting chase, 
during which it dived and turned marvellously, rising to 
the surface for brief intervals, until it was wounded, when 
it had to seek the surface more frequently and for longer 
periods owing to haemorrhage, and thus gave a better 
chance of a telling shot. The animal was extremely fat, 
and the paring down of the skin gave occupation far 
into the evening. 
All through the day, " quaaks" (the various species 
of Cancroma and Botaurus), shypooks or choughs, 
