This Lake Swarms With
Varieties Of Water-Fowl, Which Can Only Be Shot By Wading And Waiting
Concealed In The High Cover Of Rushes And Tamarisk, As They Are
Exceedingly Wary.
Commander Hammond, of H.M.S. Torch, bagged thirty-five
ducks to his own gun upon one occasion, by thus challenging the fever
and remaining hip-deep in the muddy water for some hours.
I did not feel
disposed to risk the chances of malaria, as the effluvium from the mud
was sufficiently offensive even when walking round the margin, and I
already felt some warning symptoms of the heavy atmosphere of
Famagousta, which might, if neglected, have terminated in ague. I shot a
fine specimen of the glossy ibis, and I otherwise contented myself with
watching the variety of ducks, coots, teal, and other water-fowl through
my glass, as they enjoyed themselves in flocks upon the surface of the
lake at a great distance.
Having exhausted the sights of Famagousta, we started on the 22nd of
March for Kuklia, twelve miles distant, where we had left our vans in
charge of the headman during our absence in the Carpas country. Upon our
arrival we found them untouched or unharmed, and we were met not only by
the headman himself, but by our two bullock-drivers Georgi and Theodori,
who had come from Lithrankomi. Georgi had recovered from the despair
which had overpowered him when we last parted, and he was almost
triumphant when he related the success of his mission to Gallibornu with
the mysterious paper written in English, that I had given him in order
to terrify the purchaser of his bullock.
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