laden with dried flesh, and thus seen proofs of our
success, they now offered to join our party. I am
sorry to he obliged to confess, that my ally, Abou
Do, although a perfect Nimrod in , sport, an Apollo
in personal appearance, and a gentleman in manner,
was a mean, covetous, and grasping fellow, and
withal absurdly jealous. Taher Sheriff was a more
celebrated hunter, having had the experience of at
least twenty . years in excess of Abou Do, and
although the latter was as brave and dexterous
as Taher and his. brothers, he wanted the cool
judgment that is essential to a first-rate sportsman.
He was himself aware of his inferiority to Taher
Sheriff, though too proud to admit i t ; but, to avoid
competition, he declined to allow the Sheriffs to.
join our party, declaring that, if I insisted upon the
fresh alliance, he and his comrade Suleiman would
return home. Notwithstanding his objections, I
arranged for the present that, as Jali was hors de
combat, Taher Sheriff’s party should join us until
the arrival of a fresh hunter in his place, other-
wise our party would be incomplete. To prevent
complications, the greedy Abou Do selected his share-
of the ivory, carefully choosing the best and most
perfect tusks, and he presented Taher’s party with
a small quantity of meat that would render them
independent of his hospitality. I at once ordered
my people to give them a large supply of both meat,
and corn from my own store, and they encamped in
a quarter of our circle.
The following day was the new year, January 1st,
1862; and, with the four brothers Sheriff and our
party, we formed a powerful body of hunters : six
aggageers and myself, all well mounted. With four
gunbearers, and two camels, both of which carried
water, we started in search of elephants. Florian
was unwell, and remained in camp.
In this dry climate it was only necessary to ride
along the margin of the river to look for fresh tracks,
as the animals were compelled to visit the Settite to
drink, and of course there was no difficulty in discovering
their traces. It appeared, however, that the
elephants had been frightened away from the neighbourhood
by the recent attack, as we rode for about
ten miles without seeing any fresh marks. We
therefore struck inland, on the east bank of the river,
intending to return home by a circuit. The country
was exactly like an English park, with no larger
timber than thorn trees. Every now and then there
was an exception in a gigantic homera (Adansonia
digitata), or baobab ; these, towering over the heads
of the low mimosas, could be seen from a great dis-
tance. Having steered direct for one, we halted, and
dismounted to rest the horses beneath the shade.
This tree was about forty feet in circumference, and
the spongy trunk was formed into a ladder by pegs
of hard wood driven into its side by the Basé hunters,
who had thus ascended the slippery stem in search of
honey. Bees are very fond of these trees, as they are
generally more or less hollow, and well adapted for
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