I Believed I
Missed It, As I Fired A Quick Shot Just As It Disappeared In The
Thick Bushes.
Whistling for my people, I was now joined by
Bacheet and Richarn, my other men remaining with the giraffe.
For
about four miles we followed on the track through the broken
valley of the Atbara, during which we several times disturbed the
tetel, but could not obtain a good shot, on account of the high
grass and thick bushes. Several times I tried a snap shot, as for
a moment I caught sight of its red hide galloping through the
bush, but as it ran down wind I had no chance of getting close to
my game. At length, after following rapidly down a grassy ravine,
I presently heard it pelting through the bushes; the ravine made
a bend to the right, therefore, by taking a short cut, I arrived
just in time to catch sight of the tetel as it passed over an
open space below me; this time the little Fletcher bagged him. On
examination I found that I had struck it four times. I had fired
five shots, but as three of those had been fired almost at
random, when the animal was in full speed through the bushes, one
had missed, and the others were badly placed.
"Fortunately this long hunt had been in the direction of Sofi, to
which we were near; still more fortunately, after we had marked
the spot, we shortly met my first party of Arabs returning
towards the village, heavily laden with giraffe's flesh, and the
hide of one that I had killed yesterday. It appeared that during
the night, lions and hyaenas had completely devoured one of the
giraffes, not even leaving a vestige of skin or bone, but the
immediate neighbourhood of the spot where it lay had been
trampled into mud by the savage crowd who had left their
footprints as witnesses to the robbery; the hide and bones had
evidently been dragged away piecemeal.
"On arrival at the river we were all busy in preparing for the
passage with so large a quantity of meat. The water-skins for the
raft were quickly inflated, and I learnt from the Arabs an
excellent contrivance for carrying a quantity of flesh across a
river, without its becoming sodden. The skin of the tetel was
nearly as capacious as that of an Alderney cow; this had been
drawn off in the usual manner, so as to form a sack. The Arabs
immediately proceeded to tie up the neck like the mouth of a bag,
and to secure the apertures at the knees in like manner; when
this operation was concluded, the skin became an immense sack,
the mouth being at the aperture left at the hind-quarters. The
No. 10 bullet had gone completely through the shoulders of the
tetel, thus the two holes in the hide required stopping; this was
dexterously performed by inserting a stone into either hole, of
a size so much larger than the aperture, that it was impossible
to squeeze them through. These stones were inserted from the
inside of the sack; they were then grasped by the hand from the
outside, and pulled forward, while a tight ligature was made
behind each stone, which effectually stopped the holes. The skin
of the tetel was thus converted into a waterproof bag, into which
was packed a quantity of flesh sufficient to fill two-thirds of
its capacity; the edges of the mouth were then carefully drawn
together, and secured by tying. Thus carefully packed, one of the
foreleg ligatures was untied, and the whole skin was inflated by
blowing through the tube formed by the skin of the limb; the
inflation completed, this was suddenly twisted round and tied.
The skin thus filled looked like an exaggerated water-skin; the
power of flotation was so great, that about a dozen men hung on
to the legs of the tetel, and to each other's shoulders, when we
launched it in the river. This plan is well worthy of the
attention of military men; troops, when on service, are seldom
without bullocks; in the absence of boats or rafts, not only can
the men be thus safely conveyed across the river, but the
ammunition can be packed within the skins, wrapped up in straw,
and will be kept perfectly dry.
"The Arabs were much afraid of crocodiles this night, as it was
perfectly dark when we had completed our preparations, and they
feared that the snmell of so large a quantity of raw flesh, more
especially the hide of the giraffe, which must be towed, would
attract these beasts to the party; accordingly I fired several
shots to alarm them, and the men plunged into the river, amidst
the usual yelling of the women on the opposite side. Fires had
been lighted to direct us, and all passed safely across.
"The sport upon the Abyssinian side of the river had been most
satisfactory, and I resolved upon the first opportunity to change
my quarters, and to form an encampment upon that bank of the
Atbara until the proper season should arrive for travelling. I
had killed three giraffes and two tetel in only two excursions.
Florian, who was ill, had not been able to accompany me; although
he had been shooting in this neighbourhood for two years he had
never killed a giraffe. This want of success was owing to the
inferiority of his weapons, that were not adapted to correct
shooting at a range exceeding a hundred yards.
"On the following morning about fifty Arabs crossed the river
with the intention of bringing the flesh of the giraffe, but they
returned crestfallen in the evening, as again the lions and
hyaenas had been before them, and nothing was left. I therefore
resolved not to shoot again until I should be settled in my new
camp on the other side of the river, as it was a wasteful
expenditure of these beautiful animals unless the flesh could be
preserved.
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