To This Position In The Bush I
Strongly Objected, On The Plea That Guns Could Be Best Used
Against Arrows
In the open; but none would go out in the field,
maintaining that the Wagogo would fear to attack us
So far from
their villages, as we now were, lest we might cut them off in
their retreat.
Hori Hori was now chief in Short-leg's stead, and affected to be
much pleased that we were English, and not Arabs. He told us we
might, he thought, be able to recruit all the men that we were in
want of, as many Wanyanuezi who had been left there sick wished
to go to their homes; and I would only, in addition to their
wages, have to pay their "hotel bills" to the Wagogo. This, of
course, I was ready to do, though I knew the Wanyamuezi had paid
for themselves, as is usual, by their work in the fields of their
hosts. Still, as I should be depriving these of hands, I could
scarcely expect to get off for less than the value of a slave for
each, and told Sheikh said to look out for some men at once,
whilst at the same time he laid in provisions of grain to last us
eight days in the wilderness, and settle the hongo.
For this triple business, I allowed three days, during which
time, always eager to shoot something, either for science or the
pot, I killed a bicornis rhinoceros, at a distance of five paces
only, with my small 40-gauge Lancaster, as the beast stood
quietly feeding in the bush; and I also shot a bitch fox of the
genus Octocyon lalandii, whose ill-omened cry often alarms the
natives by forewarning them of danger. This was rather tame
sport; but next day I had better fun.
Starting in the early morning, accompanied by two of Sheikh
Said's boys, Suliman and Faraj, each carrying a rifle, while I
carried a shot-gun, we followed a footpath to the westward in the
wilderness of Mgunda Mkhali. There, after walking a short while
in the bush, as I heard the grunt of a buffalo close on my left,
I took "Blissett" in hand, and walked to where I soon espied a
large herd quietly feeding. They were quite unconscious of my
approach, so I took a shot at a cow, and wounded her; then, after
reloading, put a ball in a bull and staggered him also. This
caused great confusion among them; but as none of the animals
knew where the shots came from, they simply shifted about in a
fidgety manner, allowing me to kill the first cow, and even fire
a fourth shot, which sickened the great bull, and induced him to
walk off, leaving the herd to their fate, who, considerably
puzzled, began moving off also.
I now called up the boys, and determined on following the herd
down before either skinning the dead cow or following the bull,
who I knew could not go far.
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