218 
THE KILIMANJARO EXPEDITION. 
Iris bloody repast. 44 And does the lion never return 
and kill them ? ” I asked. 44 Will a gorged vulture 
fly, or a full lion attack a man ? ” they replied con¬ 
temptuously. In spite of all this evidence *as to the 
abundance of big game, I actually saw but little, for 
the morning was now advanced, and the animals had 
retreated from the hot sun into dense cover. 1 might, 
perhaps, have had better sport had I behaved more 
like a sportsman ; but I would tramp along uncon¬ 
cernedly and chatter to my guides, consequently I 
often heard a warning whistle and snort from the 
antelopes we were tracking, and they were off before 
I could fire. I managed, however, to bring down a 
Mpala 2 antelope, and I wounded a wartliog, but he 
got away in the dense bush. I killed some francolin 
and pigeon with my shot-gun, and at any rate the 
commissariat did not suffer from my morning’s outing. 
I found the meat of the Mpala very dry and un¬ 
palatable, but it was enjoyed by my men and the 
Wa-taita. 
Hearing so constantly from these people of the fine 
sport to be got at night (we had a moon about this 
time) and at earliest dawn, I resolved to go and live 
for a day or two in the wilderness outside Taveita, so 
that I might be on the spot, and not fatigue myself 
with a long preliminary tramp to the scene of 
operations. 
We followed the course of the River Lumi —our river 
as we affectionately called it—in a northerly direction, 
for about three miles. We had quitted the great 
forest in which Taveita is built, and except for the 
band of noble trees through which the river flowed, 
2 AEpyceros Melampus. I use here the common South African name. 
The Wa-taveita call it “ Kulungu” and the Wa-taita “ JSTosi.” 
