Here, On What Was Evidently An Island
During Flood Time, We Found Innumerable Traces Of
Both Hippo And Rhino - In
Fact the difficulty was
to decide which track was the best and freshest.
At length I picked out a tree
Close to the river
and commanding a stretch of sand which was all
flattened down and looked as if at least one hippo
rolled there regularly every night.
As there was still about an hour before sundown,
we did not take up our station at once, but
proceeded along the bank to see if any other game
was about. We had not gone very far when
Mahina, who was a little way ahead, signalled to
me, and on joining him I saw a splendid-looking
water-buck standing in a shallow pool of the
river. It was the first time I had seen one of
these fine antelope, and I was delighted with
the sight. I might have got twenty yards or
so nearer, but I thought I had better not risk
moving, so I aimed at the shoulder and fired.
The buck gave one leap into the air, and then
turned and galloped quickly behind an island
which completely hid him from view. We
waited for him to clear the rushes at the other
end of this island, but as he did not appear I
got impatient and plunged into the river,
regardless of crocodiles or anything else. On rounding
the island, however, he was nowhere to be seen,
and had evidently turned off while in the shelter
of the reeds and so gained the opposite bank.
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