good-bye)," said this astonishing
individual.

I had, until that moment, been quite unaware of his existence. As he had
therefore not yet said "How do you do," I failed to fathom his reasons
for wanting to say "good-bye." However, far be it from me to deny any
one innocent pleasure, so I gravely bade him good-bye, and he
disappeared into the howling wilderness whence he had come.

* * * * *

One afternoon we came upon two lemurs seated gravely side by side on a
horizontal limb ten feet up a thorn tree. They contemplated us with the
preternatural gravity of very young children, and without the slightest
sign of fear. We coveted them as pets for Billy, but soon discovered
that their apparent tameness was grounded on good, solid common sense.
The thorns of that thorn tree! We left them sitting upright, side by
side.

A little farther on, and up a dry earthy hillside, a medium-sized beast
leapt from an eroded place fairly under my feet and made off with a
singularly familiar kiyi. It was a strange-looking animal, apparently
brick red in colour. When I had collected myself I saw it was a wild
dog. It had been asleep in a warm hollow of red clay, and had not
awakened until I was fairly upon it. We had heard these beasts nearly
every night, but this was the first we had seen. Some days later we came
upon the entire pack drinking at the river. They leapt suddenly across
our front eighty yards away, their heads all turned towards us
truculently, barking at us like so many watch dogs. They made off, but
not as though particularly alarmed.

* * * * *

One afternoon I had wounded a good wart-hog across the river, and had
gone downstream to find a dry way over. F., more enthusiastic, had
plunged in and promptly attacked the wart-hog. He was armed with the
English service revolver shooting the.455 Ely cartridge. It is a very
short, stubby bit of ammunition. I had often cast doubt on its driving
power as compared to the.45 Colt, for example. F., as a loyal
Englishman, had, of course, defended his army's weapon. When I reached
the centre of disturbance I found that F. had emptied his revolver three
times--eighteen shots--into the head and forequarters of that wart-hog
without much effect. Incidentally the wart-hog had given him a good
lively time, charging again and again. The weapon has not nearly the
shock power of even our.38 service--a cartridge classified as too