observed at about a quarter of a mile below me,
in the valley, a fine t6tel; it was standing on tbe
summit of one of tbe numerous knolls, evidently
driven from tbe bigh grass by tbe flies. I stalked
it very carefully until I arrived witbin about a
hundred yards, and just as I reached tbe stem of
a tree that I bad resolved upon as my covering-point,
tbe tetel got my wind, and immediately bounded off,
receiving tbe bullet in the right hip at the same
moment. After a few7 bounds it fell, and I ran
forward to secure it, but it suddenly sprang to its
feet, and went off at a surprising rate upon three
legs. I believed I missed, it, as I fired a quick shot
just as it disappeared in tbe thick bushes. Whistling
for my people, I was now joined by Bacheet and
Hicham, my other men remaining with tbe. giraffe.
For about four miles we followed on tbe track through
tbe broken valley of tbe Atbara, during which we
several times disturbed the tetel, but could not obtain
a good shot, on account of the high grass and thick
bushes. Several times I tried a snap shot, as for a
moment I caught sight of its red hide galloping
through the bush, but as it ran down wind I had
no chance of getting close to my game. At length,
after following rapidly down a grassy ravine, I
presently heard it pelting through the bushes; the
ravine made a bend to the right, therefore, by taking
a short cut, I arrived just in time to catch sight
of the tetel as it passed over an open space below
me ; this time the little Fletcher bagged him. On
examination I found that I had struck it four times.
I had fired five shots, but as three of those had been
fired almost at random, when the animal was in full
speed through the bushes, one had missed, and the
others were badly placed.
“ Fortunately this long hunt had been in the
direction of Sofi, to which we were near; still more
fortunately, after we had marked the spot, we
shortly met my first party of Arabs returning towards
the village, heavily laden with giraffe’s flesh,
and the hide of one that I had killed yesterday.
It appeared that during the night, lions and hyaenas
had completely devoured one of the giraffes, not
even leaving a vestige of skin or bone, but the
immediate neighbourhood of the spot where it lay,
had been trampled into mud by the savage crowd
who had left their footprints as witnesses to the
robbery; the hide and bones had evidently been
dragged away piecemeal.
“ On arrival at the river we were all busy in preparing
for the passage with so large a quantity of
meat. The water-skins for the raft were quickly
inflated, and I learnt from the Arabs an excellent
contrivance for carrying a quantity of flesh across
a river, without its becoming sodden. The skin of
the tdtel was nearly as capacious as that of an
Alderney cow; this had been drawn off in the usual
manner, so as to form a sack. The Arabs immediately
proceeded to tie up the neck like the
mouth of a bag, and to secure the apertures at the