A Shallow Packing-Case, Lined With Tin,
Containing My Gun, Was Fastened In The Centre Of The Angarep, And
Two Tow-Lines Were Attached To The Front Part Of The Raft, By
Which Swimmers Were To Draw It Across The River.
Two men were to
hang on behind, and, if possible, keep it straight in the rapid
current.
"The Arabs were full of mettle, as their minds were fixed upon
giraffe venison. A number of people, including my wife, climbed
upon the mosquito platforms, to obtain a good view of the
projected hunt, and we quickly carried our raft to the edge of
the river. There was not much delay in the launch. I stepped
carefully into my coffin-shaped case, and squatted down, with a
rifle on either side, and my ammunition at the bottom of the
tin-lined water-proof case; thus, in case of an upset, I was
ready for a swim. Off we went! The current, running at nearly
five miles an hour, carried us away at a great pace, and the
whirlpools caused us much trouble, as we several times waltzed
round when we should have preferred a straight course, but the
towing swimmers being well mounted upon logs of light
ambatch-wood, swam across in fine style, and after some
difficulty we arrived at the opposite bank, and scrambled through
thick bushes, upon our hands and knees, to the summit.
"For about two miles' breadth on this side of the river the
valley is rough broken ground, full of gullies and ravines sixty
or seventy feet deep, beds of torrents, bare sandstone rocks,
bushy crags, fine grassy knolls, and long strips of mimosa
covert, forming a most perfect locality for shooting.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 189 of 556
Words from 50988 to 51274
of 151461
