however, made
after a rain; and it was evident the game herds venture into this
country only when it contains rainwater. After two hours, however, we
did see one solitary hartebeeste, whom we greeted as an old friend in
desolation. Shortly afterwards we ran across one oribi, which I shot for
our own table.

At the end of two hours we sat down. The safari of twenty men was a very
miscellaneous lot, consisting of the rag-tag-and-bobtail of the bazaars
picked up in a hurry. They were soft and weak, and they straggled badly.
The last weakling--prodded along by one of our two askaris--limped in
only at the end of half an hour. Then we took a new start.

The sun was by now up and hot. The work was difficult enough at best,
but the weight of the tropics was now cast in the scale. Twice more
within the next two hours we stopped to let every one catch up. Each
time this required a longer interval. In the thorn it was absolutely
essential to keep in touch with every member of the party. A man once
lost would likely remain so, for we could not afford to endanger all for
the sake of one.

Time wore on until noon. Had it not been for a thin film of haze that
now overspread the sky, I think the sun would have proved too much for
some of the men. Four or five straggled so very badly that we finally
left them in charge of one of our two askaris, with instructions to
follow on as fast as they could. In order to make this possible, we were
at pains to leave a well-marked trail.

After this fashion, slowly, and with growing anxiety for some of the
men, we drew up on our landmark hill. There our difficulties increased;
the thorn brush thickened. Only by a series of short zigzags, and by
taking advantage of every rhino trail going in our direction, could we
make our way through it at all; while to men carrying burdens on their
heads the tangle aloft must have been fairly maddening. So slow did our
progress necessarily become, and so difficult was it to keep in touch
with everybody, that F. and I finally halted for consultation. It was
decided that I should push on ahead with Memba Sasa to make certain that
we were not on the wrong line, while F. and the askaris struggled with
the safari.

Therefore I took my compass bearing afresh, and plunged into the scrub.
The sensation was of hitting solid ground after a long walk through
sand. We seemed fairly to shoot ahead and out of sight. Whenever we came
upon earth we marked it deeply with o