The Hunting Of Taher Sheriff And His Brothers Was Superlatively
Beautiful; With An Immense Amount Of Dash, There Was A
Cool,
sportsman-like manner in their mode of attack, that far excelled
the impetuous and reckless onset of Abou Do;
It was difficult to
decide which to admire the most, whether the coolness and courage
of him who led the elephant, or the extraordinary skill and
activity of the aggahr who dealt the fatal blow.
On the following day, the hunters started to the dead elephant
with camels and sacks, but they returned at night thoroughly
disgusted; the nimble Base had been before them, most probably
attracted to the carcase by the cloud of vultures that had
gathered in the air. Nothing remained but the bones and skull of
the elephant, the flesh and the ivory had been stolen. The tracks
of a great number of men were left upon the ground, and the
aggageers were fortunate to return without an attack from
overwhelming numbers.
After hunting and exploring for some days in this neighbourhood,
I determined to follow the bed of the Royan to its junction with
the Settite. We started at daybreak, and after a long march along
the sandy bed, hemmed in by high banks, or by precipitous cliffs
of sandstone, we arrived at the junction; this was a curious and
frightful spot during the rainy season. The entire course of the
Royan was extremely rapid, but at this extremity it entered a
rocky pass between two hills, and leapt in a succession of grand
falls into a circular basin of about four hundred yards diameter.
This peculiar basin was surrounded by high cliffs, covered with
trees; to the left was an island formed by a rock about sixty
feet high; at the foot was a deep and narrow gorge through which
the Settite river made its exit from the circle.
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