THE HOME OF THE KUDU 123 the frontier are not Abyssinian, being more Arab in character and race.

The Khor Abu Ramleh is a considerable feeder to the Dinder on the left bank in the rains, but, like it, now only contained occasional pools. Shining lustrous in the sunlight, many large mother-of-pearl shells lay in the river-sand as we crossed to follow the short stretch of the Dinder which remained for us.

Here is to be found the kudu, with its lovely twisted horns, and I would willingly have remained for a time in the neighbourhood, but the journey to the White Nile was long and hard, and the steamer which was to take me south to more barbarous regions was due in a minimum of time.

Two miles out, travelling silently over broken and stony ground, the spur of an eminence ran slanting down to the river-bank, where it ended precipitously. Rounding its rocky face, we found it the side of a gully, and a patch of loose, dusty soil under the low cliff showed it to be the haunt of antelope, who used it for dusting their coats by rolling. The ground was covered with recent spoor, but, with an appearance of alertness, my Arab in front was dreaming, his thoughts being far away with his wives and his meat and merissa, so he heard not my '* clucks," and went straight away on.

I gave up the attempt to stop him, and reached for my rifle, but by that time the roan antelope which had stood still, astonished by our sudden appearance not 10 yards away, came to its senses, and, dodging