"I Find A Good Pair Of Highland Shooting Shoes Of Great Value;
The Soles Were Exceedingly Thick, And They Have Resisted, Until
Now, The Intensely Hard And Coarse-Grained Sandstone Which Grinds
Through All Leather.
My soles are at length worn out, and I have
repaired them with the tanned hide of giraffe.
Much of the
sandstone is white and soft and friable; but this appears to have
been decomposed by time and exposure, as the generality is hard
and would make excellent grindstones.
"October 25.--Three elephant-hunters arrived to-day with horses
for sale. I purchased three--a bay and two greys. They are all of
Abyssinian breed, and are handsome animals, although none exceed
fourteen hands and a half. The prices were high for this part of
the world where dollars are scarce; but to me, they appeared to
be absurdly cheap. The bay horse was a regular strong-built cob;
for him I paid nineteen dollars--about 4l. including a native
saddle and bridle; for the greys, I paid fifteen and thirteen
dollars, saddles and bridles also included. The bay I named Tetel
(hartebeest), the greys Aggahr* and Gazelle. Tetel was a trained
hunter, as was Aggahr likewise. Gazelle was quite inexperienced,
but remarkably handsome. None of these horses had ever been shod,
but their hoofs were beautifully shaped, and as hard as ivory.
The saddles had no stuffing on the seats, but were simple wooden
frames, with high backs and pommels, the various pieces being
sewn together with raw hide, and the front and back covered with
crocodile skin.
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