144 
EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
While I remained in camp some of the Wa-rhombu 
paid a visit to barter bananas for meat. They are 
quite the lowest type of all the natives inhabiting 
the Caga districts of Kilima-njaro, wild in appear¬ 
ance, and quite naked, with the exception of a thin 
skin belt, through which are thrust their short 
swords, knives, and knob-kerries, and all carried 
oval skin shields and spears of inferior workman¬ 
ship. They were quiet and inoffensive enough, and 
seemed to be rather afraid of us; but Martin said 
if they caught one of us alone they would probably 
try and rush us with the view to securing our 
weapons. 
I bagged a spotted hyaena this morning in one of 
the lion-traps I had set the previous evening; I felt 
certain something was caught, as I was awakened in 
the middle of the night by a tremendous yelping. 
These brutes, of which there are a great quantity 
everywhere in this country, are about twice as big as 
a large retriever, of a dirty brownish-grey colour with 
black spots, and have most formidable jaws. Their 
skins are worthless, being always mangy ; but as hyaenas 
are held in dread by the natives on account of their 
depredations upon the cattle, we felt no compunction 
about their slaughter. 
I had a great job with the rhino head, as I tried 
to keep the back horn on the skin, and so had to hack 
and chop away at the front horn very gingerly. I 
afterwards found it was a mistake to attempt this 
operation, as the skin only rotted away during the 
