to those eaten with ice-creams in this country, but
extremely large; these are dried in the sun, and
crushed like the sour abrey ; they will keep for
months if kept dry in a leathern bag. A handful
of sweet abrey steeped in a bowl of hot milk, with
a little honey, is a luxurious breakfast; nothing can
be more delicious, and it can be prepared in a
few minutes during the short halt upon a journey.
With a good supply of abrey and dried meat, the
commissariat arrangements are wonderfully simplified,
and a party can march a great distance without much
heavy baggage to impede their movements.
The flesh that is the least adapted for drying
is that of the buffalo (Bos Caffer) which is exceedingly
tough and coarse. • There are two species of
the Bos Caffer in Abyssinia and Central Africa,
which, similar in general appearance, differ in the
horns; that which resembles the true Bos Caffer
of South Africa has very massive convex horns
that unite in front, and completely cover the forehead
as with a shield; the other variety has ■ massive,
but perfectly flat horns of great breadth, that
do not quite unite over the os frontis, although
nearly so; the flatness of the horns continues in a
rough surface, somewhat resembling the bark of a
tree, for about twelve inches; the horns then become
round, and curve gracefully inwards, like those of
the convex species. Buffaloes are very dangerous
and determined animals; but, although more accidents
occur in hunting these than any other variety of
game, I cannot admit that they are such formidable
opponents as the elephant and black rhinoceros;
they are so much more numerous than the latter,
that they are more frequently encountered; hence
the casualties.
A buffalo can always be killed with a No. 10 rifle
and six drachms of powder when charging, if the
hunter will only wait coolly until it is so close that
he cannot miss the forehead; but the same rifle will
fail against an African elephant, or a black rhinoceros,
as the horns of the latter animal effectually protect
the brain from a front shot. I have killed some
hundreds of buffaloes, and, although in many cases
they have been unpleasantly near, the rifle has always
won the day. There cannot be a more convenient size
than No. 10 for a double rifle, for large game. This
will throw a conical projectile of three ounces, with
seven drachms of powder. Although a breechloader is
a luxury, I would not have more than a pair of such
rifles in an expedition in a wild country, as they would
require more care in a damp climate than the servants
would be likely to bestow upon them, and the ammunition
would be a great drawback. This should be
divided into packets of ten cartridges each, which
should be rolled up in flannel, and hermetically sealed
in separate tin canisters. Thus arranged, they would
be impervious to damp, and might be carried conveniently.
But 1 should decidedly provide myself with
four double-barrelled muzzle-loading No. 10’s as my
regular battery; that, if first class, would never get out