tiveness; it would produce a large revenue if in
industrious hands.
“ September 2.—For many days past we have
seen large herds of giraffes and many antelopes on
the opposite side of the river, about two miles
distant, on the borders of the Atbara, into which
valley the giraffes apparently dared not descend,
but remained on the table-land, although the
antelopes appeared to prefer the harder soil of
the valley slopes. This day a herd of twenty-eight
giraffes tantalized me by descending a short distance
below the level flats, and I was tempted at all
hazards across the river. Accordingly preparations
were immediately made for a start. The
sheik of the village and several of the Arabs were
hippopotami hunters by profession; these fellows
could swim like otters, and, despite the crocodiles,
they seemed as much at home in the water as on
land. We prepared an impromptu raft. My angarep
(bedstead) was quickly inverted; six water-skins
were inflated, and lashed, three on either side. A
shallow packing-case, lined with tin, containing my
guns, was fastened in the centre of the angarep, and
two tow-lines were attached to-the front part of
the raft, by which swimmers were to draw it across
the river. Two men were to hang on behind, and,
if possible, keep it straight in the rapid current. ■:
“ The Arabs were full of mettle, as their minds
were fixed upon giraffe venison. A number of
people, including my wife, climbed upon the mosquito
platforms, to obtain a good view of the
projected hunt, and we quickly carried our raft to
the edge of the river. There was not much delay
in the launch. I stepped carefully into my coffinshaped
case and squatted down, with a rifle on
either side, and my ammunition at the bottom of
the tin-lined waterproof case; thus, in case of an
upset, I was ready for a swim. Off we went! The
current, running at nearly five miles an hour, carried
us away at a great pace, and the whirlpools
caused us much trouble, as we several times waltzed
round when w e, should have preferred a straight
course, but the towing swimmers being well mounted
upon logs of light ambatch-wood, swam across in
fine style, and after some difficulty we arrived at the
opposite bank, and scrambled through thick bushes,
upon our hands and knees, to the summit.
“ For about two miles breadth’on this side of the
river the valley is rough broken ground, full of
gullies and ravines sixty or seventy feet deep, beds
of torrents, bare sandstone rocks, bushy crags, fine
grassy knolls, and long strips of mimosa covert, forming
a most perfect locality for shooting.
“ I had observed by the telescope that the giraffes
were standing as usual upon an elevated position,
from whence they could keep a good look-out. I
knew it would be useless to ascend the slope direct,
as their long necks give these animals an advantage
sim ilar to that of the man at the mast-head; therefore,
although we had. the wind in our favour, we