I Found Tracks Of Hippopotami
Upon The High Grassy Hills; These Animals Climb Up The Most
Difficult Places During The Night, When They Ascend From The
River To Seek For Pasturage.
I was not far from the tent when I
arrived at the junction of the Angrab with the Bahr Salaam, but
the rivers were both sunk in stupendous precipices, so that it
was impossible to descend.
The mouth of the river Angrab was an
extraordinary sight; it was not wider than about fifteen yards,
although the river averaged a width of at least a hundred and
fifty yards. The exit of the water was between two lofty walls of
basalt rock, which overhung the stream, which in the rainy season
not only forced its way for about a hundred yards through this
narrow cleft, but it had left proof of inundations that had leapt
over the summit of the obstruction, when the rush of water had
been too great for the area of the contracted passage.
Altogether, the two rivers Sahaam and Angrab are interesting
examples of the destructive effect of water, that has during the
course of ages cut through, and hollowed out in the solid rock,
a succession of the most horrible precipices and caverns, in
which the maddened torrents, rushing from the lofty chain of
mountains, boil along until they meet the Atbara, and assist to
flood the Nile. No one could explore these tremendous torrents,
the Settite, Royan, Angrab, Salaam, and Atbara, without at once
comprehending their effect upon the waters of the Nile. The
magnificent chain of mountains from which they flow, is not a
simple line of abrupt sides, but the precipitous slopes are the
walls of a vast plateau, that receives a prodigious rainfall in
June, July, August, until the middle of September, the entire
drainage of which is carried away by the above-named channels to
inundate Lower Egypt."
Not being able to cross the river at the point of junction with
the Salaam, I continued along the margin of the precipice that
overhangs the latter river, until I should find a place by which
we could descend with the camel, as this animal had made a great
circuit to avoid the difficulties of the Angrab. We were at
length united, and were continuing our route parallel with the
river, over undulations of withered grass about three feet high,
interspersed with trees, when I perceived above the surface the
long horns of a mehedehet (R. Ellipsiprymna). I knew that he must
be lying down, and, as he was about a hundred and fifty yards
distant, I stalked him carefully from tree to tree; presently I
observed three other pairs of horns at various distances; two
were extremely large; but, unfortunately, an animal with smaller
horns was lying between me and the largest. I could do no more
than creep quietly from point to point, until the smaller animal
should start and alarm the larger. This it did when I was about
a hundred yards from the large bull, and both mehedehets sprang
up, and, as is usual with this species, they stood for a few
moments seeking for the danger. My clothes and hunting cap
matched so well with the bark of the tree behind which I was
kneeling, that I was unobserved, and, taking a rest against the
stem with the little Fletcher, I fired both barrels, the right at
the most distant bull. Both animals simply sprang for an instant
upon their hind legs, and fell. This was capital; but at the
report of the rifle, up jumped two other mehedehets, which
appeared the facsimiles of those I had just shot; having missed
their companions, and seeing no one, they stood motionless and
gazed in all directions.
I had left my people far behind when I had commenced the stalk,
therefore I had no spare rifle. I reloaded behind the tree with
all haste. I had capped the nipples, and, as I looked out from my
covering point, I saw them still in the same spot; the larger,
with superb horns, was about a hundred and twenty yards distant.
Again I took a rest, and fired. He sprang away as though
untouched for the first three or four bounds, when he leapt
convulsively in the air, and fell backwards. This was too much
for the remaining animal, that was standing about a hundred yards
distant--he bounded off; but the last barrel of the little
Fletcher caught him through the neck at full gallop, and he fell
all of a heap, stone dead.
These were the prettiest shots I ever recollect to have made, in
a very long experience; I had bagged four with the same rifle in
as many shots, as quickly as I could load and fire.
My Tokroori, Abdoolahi, who had been intently watching the shots
from a distance, came rushing up in hot excitement with one of my
sharp hunting knives, and, springing forward to hamstring one of
the animals, that was still struggling, he foolishly made a
downward cut, and, missing his blow, he cut his own leg terribly
across the shin, the knife flying out of his hand as it struck
against the bone: he was rendered helpless immediately. I tied up
the wound with my handkerchief, and, having at length loaded the
camel with as much meat as we could cut off the animals,
Abdoolahi was assisted upon its back; my men carried the two
finest heads. It was very late, and we now sought for a path by
which we could descend to the river.
At length we discovered a dangerous antelope-track, that
descended obliquely, by skirting an exceedingly steep side of a
hill, with a perpendicular precipice immediately below, that fell
for about seventy feet sheer to the river. My horse Tetel was as
sure-footed as a goat, therefore, having taken off my shoes to
avoid slipping, I led him to the bottom safely. Taher Noor called
to the camel-driver not to attempt to follow.
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