An Afrikander’s Journal 
II.—A Woman Among the Lions—Rhodesian 
Hunting Incidents 
S portsmen intending to make a trip to 
Africa after big game should not forget 
Northwestern Rhodesia. Of course at 
present the cry is for British East Africa, hut 
from personal experience I may say that there 
are so many shooting parties going out there 
that you literally tread on one another’s heels, 
and although game is there in thousands, and 
enough for all, I prefer to get away from the 
madding crowd. I know of a case where one 
sportsman had followed a herd of elephants, 
and after several days’ hard walking he came 
in touch with them late in the evening. As he 
was preparing his camp, to his dismay he found 
another sportsman already camped. They soon 
came to terms, however, and eventually tossed 
a coin to determine who was to have a go at 
the big bull, thus avoiding spoiling each other’s 
sport. 
In one respect Rhodesia is cheaper, the license 
costs only £ 25 , and if one wishes to do it in 
a luxurious way, why it is possible to do all 
one’s hunting from a wagon with saddle horses, 
and tsetse flies are scarce and exist only in well 
known belts. 
Certainly in Rhodesia you do not find the same 
number of species of antelope or the quantity 
that you do in British East Africa, but there are 
some that you cannot find in the latter country. 
Sable and roan antelope and eland run larger 
in Rhodesia or Central Africa. 
I was in charge of all Government transport 
north of the Zambesi River and it was the duty 
of everyone traveling north by wagon to re¬ 
port to me. One day I was astonished to hear 
that a wagon with two white women had passed 
through without reporting and had gone north. 
White women, ye gods! We never saw such 
a thing up there. The opportunity was cer¬ 
tainly too good to miss and besides it was my 
duty to find out where they were going and 
why they had not reported. My headquarters 
were then at Kalomo, a town—so-called—of 
about twenty white men, principally Govern¬ 
ment officials and officers of the native police. 
Hastily saddling up, I rode after these people 
By JOHN A. M. LETHBRIDGE 
and had not far to go before catching up to the 
wagon which was outspanned by a river. I 
caught sight of a white skirt and knew then 
that what I had heard was true. The first per¬ 
son I saw was a Cape woman who was evi¬ 
dently the cook. Do not mix up a Cape woman 
with a negro. Of the former many are really 
beautiful and would make many a fine lady 
hide her face, and this one was decidedly on 
the pretty side. Hearing my approach, she 
looked up and smiled, bade me good morning 
and for the moment I was quite nervous. I 
answered her of course with dignity and asked 
her who the wagon belonged to and why they 
had not reported to me at Kalomo. 
She answered, “The wagon belongs to my 
lady, F., and she is going on a hunting trip with 
her husband. Colonel F.,’’ who at that moment 
came out of the tent of the wagon. 
“Hello,” he said; “what do you want, and 
who are you?” Upon my replying he informed 
me that some weeks previous he had written 
the head officials from London to apprise them 
of the fact that he was coming out for a trip 
and to ask their help and that he had expected 
to find everything arranged for him, but that 
he found all the head officials absent, they hav¬ 
ing gone to Lealin, Naturally he felt very much 
disappointed and what did I advise him to do. 
“In the meantime.” he added, “come to break¬ 
fast.” He introduced me to his wife and a 
French count who had come with them. Oh, 
the pleasure of meeting a white lady again! 
People living in civilization cannot realize what 
a treat it is. After months of seeing nothing 
but negroes it gets decidedly on your nerves. 
After breakfast, as we were having a smoke, 
I said to him, “Well, Colonel, I have a cattle 
camp about fifteen miles north of here where 
there is a sort of hut, so if you and your wife 
care to go there you will be very welcome, and 
I myself will tr}^ to show you some game.” 
They jumped at the suggestion and I gave the 
driver orders to inspan and follow on, and rode 
on with the colonel, leaving the others to come 
with the wagon. 
On reaching my camp I turned all my things 
out of the hut and swept and made it clean for 
Lady F.—two good hours of solid hard work.- 
I put up a tent for myself-. The moment they 
arrived and Lady F. saw the hut she said, “Noth¬ 
ing would induce me to sleep in that hut with 
nasty spiders and things; I must have a tent.” So 
everything had to be rearranged. Oh, the per¬ 
versity of the fair sex! You do what you think 
is best and most comfortable for them, but they 
'will want it the other way. At last, however, 
it was arranged. Colonel and Lady F. had a 
tent, the Count and I the hut, and Kate, the 
charming Cape girl, a new grass hut which I * 
had especially built for her. I think she appre¬ 
ciated my forethought and kindness, at least I 
hope so. 
The Colonel wanted to make a mixed bag, but 
especially hoped to get a shot at a lion and a 
sable. I said the sable I would guarantee, if 
they would stay a few days, but as to the lion 
I could not say, but we would have a good try 
for one. That night lions came round our camp, 
grunting and making a row, which very much 
alarmed Lady F., but in my hut nothing could 
be heard except the Count’s snores. 
The next morning we made an early start, I 
going east with the Colonel and the Count and 
Lady F. in the opposite direction under the 
care of a Dutchman who happened to be work¬ 
ing for me. The country was beautiful, the 
grass not too long, with plenty of timber and 
water and big open plains—an ideal spot for 
game. After going about four miles I saw some 
hartebeeste with a fair bull among them, and 
pointing them out to the Colonel, we started to 
stalk them. This was easy, as the wind was 
right and there was plenty of cover, so we very 
easily got up to within 150 yards when the 
Colonel grassed the bull at the first shot. He 
was quite a good average specimen and the 
Colonel was naturally very pleased with him¬ 
self and the world in general, and after taking 
off the head and scalp we sent a boy back to 
the camp to bring carriers to take in the meat, 
and we went on. 
