It was at length
impossible to see; the roar of the fire and the heat were terrific, as
the blast swept before the advancing flames, and filled the air and eyes
with fine black ashes. I literally had to turn and run hard into fresher
atmosphere to get a gasp of cool air, and to wipe my streaming eyes.
Just as I emerged from the smoke, a leucotis came past, and received
both the right and left bullets in a good place, before it fell.
The fire reached the stream and at once expired. The wind swept the
smoke on before, and left in view the velvety black surface, that had
been completely denuded by the flames.
The natives had killed many antelopes, but the rhinoceros had gone
through their nets like a cobweb. Several buffaloes had been seen, but
they had broken out in a different direction. Lieut. Baker had killed
three leucotis, Abd-el-Kader had killed one, and had hit a native in the
leg with a bullet, while aiming at a galloping antelope. I had killed
five.
I doctored the native, and gave him some milk to drink, and his friends
carried him home. This was a very unfortunate accident, and from that
day the natives gave Abd-el-Kader a wide berth.
Most of the women were heavily laden with meat: the nets were quickly
gathered up, and, with whistles blowing as a rejoicing, the natives
returned homewards.
The women were very industrious, and never went home empty-handed; but
if some were unfortunate in their supply of meat, they gathered immense
bundles of firewood, which they carried many miles upon their heads to
their respective villages . . . .
The time passed very happily at Fatiko, and the fact of my joining with
the natives in their sports added to the confidence already established.
I frequently went into their villages to smoke a pipe, and to chat with
the people: this always pleased them, and the children generally crowded
round me, as I never went empty-handed, but a few beads or other
trifles were always forthcoming as presents.
Gimoro had been very unfortunate in losing his children when young, and
I understood that the mortality was very great among all infants from
two years old to five.
I attribute this to the absurd custom of public night nurseries.
According to the population of the village, there are certain houses
built upon pedestals or stone supports about three feet from the ground.
In the clay wall of the circular building is a round hole about a foot
in diameter; this is the only aperture.
At sunset, when the children have been fed, they are put to bed in the
simplest manner, by being thrust headforemost through the hole in the
wall, assisted, if refractory, by a smack behind, until the night
nursery shall have received the limited number. The aperture is then
stopped up with a bundle of grass if the nights are cool.
The children lie together on the clay floor like a litter of young
puppies, and breathe the foulest air until morning, at which time they
are released from the suffocating oven, to be suddenly exposed to the
chilly daybreak. Their naked little bodies shiver round a fire until the
sun warms them, but the seeds of diarrhoea and dysentery have already
been sown.
It may be readily imagined that accidents frequently occur in the great
hunts already described, as it is quite impossible to speculate upon the
species of animal that may be driven into the net. A fine little lad of
about eleven years was killed by a leopard within a mile of my Fatiko
station. The grass had been fired, and the animals instinctively knew
that they were pursued.
The boy went to drink at a stream close to some high reeds, when a
leopard pounced upon him without the slightest warning. A native who was
close to the spot rushed up to the rescue, and threw his spear with such
dexterity that he struck the leopard through the neck while it had the
boy in its mouth, killing it upon the spot. The boy was immediately
brought to me, but the lungs were lacerated, and he died during the
night.
On another occasion five men were wounded (two fatally) by a lioness,
which fought so gallantly that she at length escaped from her assailants
with two spears in her body.
I was not present on that occasion, but I have frequently admired the
pluck of the Shooli natives, who attack every animal with the simple
hunting-spear, which of course necessitates a close approach.
On 30th December I went out with a few natives on the Fabbo road, simply
to shoot in order to procure meat for the camp. We were about ten miles
from the station, and the game was so wild on the open prairies that we
found it impossible to approach within shot. We had seen great numbers
of the beautiful leucotis antelope (rather larger than a fine fallow
buck), also hartebeest (Antelope bubalis), all of which had quitted the
clean ground which had recently been burnt, and had retired to the high
grass upon a long sloping undulation.
Among our natives were two men who were the owners of the manor; they
therefore proposed that we should place the guns in position, while they
should march up to windward, and fire the grass in the usual manner.
Lieutenant Baker was placed about 300 yards to my left, and Colonel
Abd-el-Kader about 150 paces to my right. As we faced the high grass we
had the ground clear at our backs, as the young herbage was just
sprouting after the recent burning.
As usual, I was concealed by a large ant-hill, behind which, my two boys
Saat and Bellaal squatted with my spare guns.
