90 HIDES FOR SHIELDS.

to whom they had intrusted an express rifle, had let it off. It had been given to him locked ; but he had been playing with the locks, and so managed to discharge it. They were naturally greatly annoyed and disappointed, but determined to return to the same place the following day ; this they did, and were rewarded by shooting a very fine bull. Although there is not much of a trophy to be obtained from a giraffe, they are much valued by the Arabs. The flesh we found rather tough and strong, but we ate it cooked in various ways ; and the natives were very fond of it. The hide is exceedingly tough, and is much prized for making shields ; and the tails make excellent fly-whisks.

Whenever we shot a large animal, such as a buffalo or a giraffe, there was a great clamouring for a piece of hide to make a shield. Every Arab wanted some, and we endeavoured to divide the skin as fairly as possible ; but it was often difficult, not to say impossible, to satisfy everybody, and we began to wish the animals had been born without skins. When they did not want to manufacture shields out of the hide for their own use, they could easily obtain a dollar at the nearest town for a sufficient quantity to make one.

The trees along the Gash got thicker and more numerous, the farther we plunged into the country ; and we noticed several varieties we had not met with before, amongst others, some very like English pear-trees in appearance. There was, too, a very curious grass, with a head to it like cotton ; and we regretted that none of our party were botanists.

After a night spent in the river-bed opposite Fodah, we pushed five or six miles farther up, and encamped near a large village, situated on the spur of a hill on the right bank of the Gash, and called Koolookoo ; we suddenly came in sight of this place on turning a bend of the river. The inhabitants, as they saw