“ Should you reach the Lakes in safety, please deliver this
letter to the missionaries there. You will be the first to
convey words of greeting from us here to those in the Lake
regions, who are working in the same good cause.”
In the morning the weather had cleared; for the last
time I bade adieu to my white friends. With unearthly
shouts and yells from Korana John (who had quite recovered
his senses, and was using his great cattle-whip with startling
effect), and the oxen straining in the yokes, we headed to
the north-east, and were soon hidden in the dense osdoom
of the forest. The sun was sinking as we camped in a small
tree-environed plain, where we could hear the welcome
music of a small rill of crystal water.
CHAPTER IV.
THE “ BIG GAME” COUNTRY.
Stocking the larder—My “ C. L. K.” rifle—A zebra hunt—“ Gijima,
gijima!”—Hollow bullets—An unpleasant duckingpfThe mountains
between the Zambesi, Sabia and Limpopo—Difficulty in lion bunting
—Humours of ox-driving—The Sepaque river—Out of the track—•
Clearing under difficulties—Elephant spoor-—Fruitless pursuit—Umvuli
river—A catalogue of miseries—Story of Windvogel’s victim—John and
the wolf—Lion incidents—A dangerous ford—An elephant bunt—The
boney-bird’s note of warning—Thrilling moments—A good day’s work
—Kaffir gluttony—Game and honey—Selous’ deserted camp of 1883—
Taroman missing.
Our party was now so small that every man had his special
work “ cut o u t:” the occupation of hunter devolving upon
myself. The reader may be assured that every effort was
made to keep the larder well stocked. As yet the majority
of African mammalia had not appeared in my records of the
chase, so that everything had the subtle charm of novelty;
and we were now in a great game country. Anything
between a duiker, with its tiny feet and diminutive horns,
and the gigantic African elephant, with its world-coveted
tusks and formidable ears, which could be likened to the
wings of a gigantic eagle, might at any time become the
object of the chase. It is not, however, a part of the purpose
of the present work, to deal largely with descriptions of
hunting adventures. Already much has been written, and
well written, in various works devoted entirely to the subject
of the wild and exciting sports of Africa. Now and then,