28 FIRST GAME SHOT.

open nature of the ground, which made stalking any thing but

an easy process. Aylmer was the first to draw blood, having

shot a buck gazelle the day before.

The next day we had some further trouble with our camel-

drivers. We had started ahead of the caravan, and shot a

couple of gazelles, when one of our native servants suddenly

appeared, to tell us that three of the camels were lost. This

was all nonsense in reality, and only a ruse in order to give the

camels more time to feed, and to let the men dawdle about. We turned back ; and, when we met a number of the laden*

camels that had just started, we unloaded some, and over-

loaded others, so that we got two empty ones ; with these we

returned to our late camp, and loaded them with the baggage

that was left, and which belonged to the camels supposed to

be lost. We started them after the others as soon as possible ;

but it delayed us very much, and we only accomplished a six-

hours' march. The lost camels were soon found, and the

baggage re-arranged.

We passed some huts in the afternoon, near to which water

could be obtained, although two or three miles off the road,

at a place called Sankcreet : accordingly a camel was left behind

to bring a supply, and we travelled on some distance farther,

before halting for the night.

Birds of any kind were very scarce ; but Lort Phillips shot a

rose-breasted shrike, a kind of butcher-bird I had never met

with before.

Dec. 20 was a blazing hot day, and the last on which we

had any rain, and that only, a slight shower early in the morn-

ing. We marched rather over ten hours to make up for lost

time, journeying along a plain from twelve to fifteen miles

wide, between the ranges of hills. Khor^s became rather more

numerous, and were wider, showing that we were nearing a