Sept, io, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
409 
gave it up from the start, but used what simple 
remedies I had. I do not think there is any cure 
for horse sickness. Nature must take its course, 
and if the animal is going to get better he will. 
I know of no cure, and I have tried almost every¬ 
thing. 
The next morning, however, the horse was still 
alive, and as it was worth while staying another 
day to see what happened, I went early to the 
farther end of the swamp to put in another day 
with the buffalo. I was well repaid, for I got a 
good bull and wounded a second, but did not 
secure him. It was altogether too thick to follow 
him up, and I could only hope that he was not 
badly hit. The bull I got was an easy shoulder 
shot at fifty yards, and he crumpled up like a 
rabbit. The second one, which was a good deal 
larger than the first, passed even closer by, but 
the shot was not an open one. When we got back 
to camp, the horse was practically dead; at any 
rate, I gave him a shot to put him out of his 
misery. I got the boys to pull the carcass away 
a good 200 yards and cut it open, so that animals 
would soon find out there was something good to 
eat about. I was not disappointed. All night 
long there was a most awful row going on, 
caused by hyenas and smaller beasts, and there 
was more than one lion at the feast. There was 
very little left the next morning, and I didn’t 
think it was worth while to lie over another day, 
although Eli said that two of the porters 
would like to go and see if they could find my 
buffalo bull of the yesterday. As I had several 
small things to attend to, I assented and promised 
them a small reward if they could bring in the 
skull, which they did. The scalp was almost en¬ 
tirely torn off. Eli told me that they had only 
a short distance to go, and that the carcass was 
entirely devoured. The head was a much better 
one than the one I had, and so as an extra load 
counted, I threw mine away and took this one on, 
as one scalp off a decent sized head is practically 
as good as another, especially so in these days 
of high art taxidermy. In the evening I 
wandered down to the carcass, or w'hat remained 
of it, and set a gun, meaning it for a lion of 
course, and a lion I got. We heard the report 
about nine o'clock, but I do not think anybody 
was especially keen to go dowm to see the result. 
I was in bed and so could be excused ; but early 
the boys told me I had been successful and had 
secured a half-growm male. He was hardly 
worth skinning. It was one lion less, and in the 
bushveldt they are plentiful enough and always 
will be. Whatever happens, this country will al¬ 
ways be a game reserve. 
We moved camp,, having one, rather nasty 
stream to cross, and a few hours afterward 
struck the trail of two wagons, and as this was 
absolutely fresh, I told the boys to make camp, 
and followed it up with Eli. We soon saw 
smoke, and found three families of Dutchmen 
who were trekking north to German East Africa. 
They were of all ages, and though at first not in¬ 
clined to be very friendly with a “Roinek,” they 
thawed out, and the old “Tanfe” gave me a cup 
of coffee and we were friends. The men folk 
were four, one family having father and son, 
the second, father only, and the third a son only. 
His father had died a few- weeks before on the 
trek, and he, though only about eighteen, was 
now the head of the family and had to under¬ 
take all the responsibilities — not small ones by 
any means. There were several girls and some 
younger children. Their wagons were loaded 
with meat and hides, and they certainly had not 
spared the game. This is something they cannot 
and wall not do. They must kill, and although 
they utilize the hides and a great deal of the 
meat they make into biltong, I am afraid they 
slaughter more than they can use. They were a 
very cheery party, once the shyness and reserve 
had worn off, and asked me to stay there that 
night, and I sent back Eli to fetch my blankets 
and determined to make a night of it, which I 
did; but I noticed that they kept a kaffir boy on 
watch all night long and also took the precaution 
of keeping up good fires. I like watching people 
like this, who thoroughly understand camping 
and living out of doors, from start to finish. 
They had lost several oxen, but had alw'ays been 
able to replace with oxen bought from the 
natives. They had three Cape boys with them, 
and of course these natives are good all-round 
workers, and besides have quite a good amount 
of common sense. As I still had quite a good 
number of .30,3 cartridges left, and my journey 
was now drawing to an end, I gave what I could 
spare, and we parted the next day the very best 
of friends. 
They told me that they were never going to 
return to the Transvaal, where they belonged. 
That since the English were the bosses in South 
Africa, everything had gone to the dogs. To 
this I would not agree, and told them that of the 
many Dutchmen I had met with in my travels 
farther north, the great majority would only be 
too pleased if they could get back once more to 
their old country, although, on the other hand, 
not a few were making homes in British East 
Africa and Northeast Rhodesia, and were quite 
contented and making good, but that very few 
appeared contented with the laws and conditions 
existing in German East Africa, and that I did 
not think they would long remain there, but 
would continue their journey for the north and 
become subjects of the government they showed 
so much dislike for. In one sense their hatred 
for the English is only natural, but you find it 
among the uneducated classes much more than 
among the better class. These people had some 
good ivory with them, but as they were very 
reticent and did not appear to like my question¬ 
ing, I desisted. They also had four fine lion 
skins. Blow they got them I do not know. One 
had a very old magazine rifle with a broken stock 
tied up with raw hide, and another had a Martini, 
by which he swore. They had no idea how long 
it would take to reach their journey’s end, and, 
I think cared not at all. They carried with them 
all their world’s belongings, and, I think, had 
made up their minds to stop at the first likely 
looking bit of country that they struck. The 
Boer’s one idea is to be as far away from 
another as it is possible, unless related, and it 
is a well known thing that they never settle 
where they can see the smoke of a neighbor’s 
fire. They are a wonderful people, and you very 
seldom meet a Boer family without its Bible, and 
it is their religion and faith that carries them 
through. I can speak a certain amount of Dutch, 
and that helped matters considerably. To a cer¬ 
tain extent, their ideas are very crude, and they 
think nothing of very close intermarriages, and 
the result is not always what could be wished for. 
My journey was now drawing to a close, and 
T was getting correspondingly anxious, although 
I had been months and months without news. 
When I knew I should get letters at Beira, I got 
nervous, and from now on, instead of wishing to 
shoot, my one idea was to get on to my journey’s 
end, and find out what had happened to those at 
home during ray long absence. I only shot now 
what was absolutely necessary for food, and al¬ 
though I saw many fine specimens, I took no 
interest in them, but traveled on. About a 
week's journey from Beira, 1 ran into the finest 
lot of sable I had seen on the whole trip, and 
started out to look at them more closely. The 
country where I saw these was not very 
thick, and when first sighted, they were about 
300 yards off. There was a big herd, and in it 
several splendid bulls. So much I could see, but 
at that distance it was impossible to tell if there 
were any very large ones. When I see sable I 
cannot let them alone, especially if there is what 
looks like a good bull among them, but to judge 
with exactness is very hard, and from a distance 
one often imagines that an animal carries a very 
much larger head than it does. I got right 
in among them, in some small timber, and for 
some few minutes could see nothing but cows 
and a few young bulls. At last I saw one which 
I thought must be one of the big ones. I fired, 
but he went off as if unhurt. I knew perfectly 
well, however, that I had hit him, and that i 
should get him, but I could find no blood spoor. 
I would not give it up, and eventually we found 
him about 200 yards on, dead as a door nail. 
He carried a poor head, not at all symmetrical— 
one horn being much longer than the other. 
However, it was meat, and that was needed. 
One day I met two mounted police, and they 
inquired of me in French if I had seen anything 
of three wagons and some Dutchmen. I have 
made it a rule, if there is any trouble going, not to 
mix up in it. I denied having met them, and 
asked for what they were wanted. One replied, 
they had stolen eight head of Kaffir cattle, and 
had been helping themselves pretty freely to the 
other belongings of some natives. I knew per¬ 
fectly well that should I get mixed up in this, that 
it would mean a delay for me, and so I pretended 
entire ignorance. I told Eli to tell the other boys 
that we had met nobody, should they be ques¬ 
tioned. Luckily, the police took themselves off, 
after they had asked me a few pertinent ques¬ 
tions. I could not give them a drink, as 
I had no liquor, but I asked them a few ques¬ 
tions, pretending that I was in want of informa¬ 
tion and then thanked them, at the same time 
slipping a sovereign in the hand of one for in¬ 
formation required, and off they went as pleased 
as Punch. It is well at all times not to have any 
business with these men, as if they wish they 
can make themselves very disagreeable and give 
you a lot of trouble. 
Two days more and I reached Beira. I had 
been there before and have no love for it, for a 
more forlorn place it is hard to find ; nevertheless, 
there are a really good lot of fellows there, who 
try their best to make life bearable to you while 
you remain there. To my great joy, I found 
there would be a German East African boat call¬ 
ing in thirty days, and I had none too much time 
to arrange my affairs. What little ivory I had. I 
sold very well, and was busy for two days look¬ 
ing over my specimens, and having them packed 
im air-tight boxes. I paid off my porters and 
gave them a good substantial present, as this 
crowd had never caused me any annoyance. I 
met one o'd friend here, and it was mainly 
