"I Never Allow Either The Monkeys Or Baboons To Be Disturbed:
Thus They Have No Fear Of Our Party, But With Perfect Confidence
They Approach Within Thirty Or Forty Yards Of The Tents, Sitting
Upon The Rocks And Trees, And Curiously Watching All That Takes
Place In The Camp.
I have only seen one species of monkey in this
neighbourhood--a handsome dark grey animal with white whiskers.
The baboons are also of one species, the great dog-faced ape
(Cynocephalus); these grow to a very large size, and old Masara
fully expects to be carried off and become the wife of an old
baboon, if they are allowed to become so bold.
"This afternoon I took a stroll with the rifle, but saw nothing
except a young crocodile about six feet long; this was on the dry
summit of a hill, far from water. I shot it and took the skin. I
can only conclude that the small stream in which he had wandered
from the river-bed had become dry, and the creature had lost its
way in searching for other water.
"September 27.--I started from the tent at 6 A.M. and made a
circuit of about eighteen miles, seeing nothing but tetel and
gazelles, but I had no luck. Hot and disgusted, I returned home,
and took the rod, hoping for better luck in the river. I hooked,
but lost, a small fish, and I began to think that the fates were
against me by land and water, when I suddenly had a tremendous
run, and about a hundred and fifty yards rushed off the reel
without the possibility of stopping the fish. The river was very
low; thus I followed along the bank, holding hard, and after
about half an hour of difference of opinion, the fish began to
show itself, and I coaxed it into the shallows; here it was
cleverly managed by Bacheet, who lugged it out by the tail. It
was an ugly monster, of about fifty pounds, a species of silurus,
known by the Arabs as the 'coor;' it differed from the silurus of
Europe by haviimg a dorsal fin, like a fringe, that extended
along the back to the tail. This fish had lungs resembling
delicate branches of red coral, and, if kept moist, it would
exist upon the land for many hours like an eel. It smelt strongly
of musk, but it was gladly accepted by the Sheik of Sofi, who
immediately answered to the flag.
"While shooting this morning I came suddenly upon a small species
of leopard that had just killed a snake about five feet in
length; the head was neatly bitten off and lay upon the ground
near the body; the animal was commencing a meal off the snake
when it was disturbed, and I lost sight of it immediately in the
high grass.
"September 28.--The heat is most oppressive: even the nights are
hot, until about 2 A.M., at which hour a cool breeze springs up.
The wind now blows from the south until about 1 P.M., when it
changes suddenly to the north, and then varies between these two
points during the rest of the day; this leads me to hope that the
north wind will shortly set in.
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