206 " CREWE JUNCTION " OF THE NILE heads far finer than I had seen on the Binder ; one stood, unmoved by the sight of the steamer, on an islet in the midst of a swamp not far from the bank. Scattered over the grassy plains were many of the dark-skinned " white-eared cob," with their white patches on the head and throat, and hght bellies. Their sober-hued wives were in numbers.

Seizing an easy opportunity to land where a cob stood in a convenient position, and crouching as I crept under the cover of grass, I eventually peeped through an opening, and, resting a moment, fired as the animal prepared to move off. But the exertion in the full blaze of the sun had made me out of breatii, my heart was beating quickly, and the bullet missed its mark. Instead of bolting full tilt, he stopped dead though half covered with grass, and the next shot was successful.

Not far from this spot the engineer told me in his broken English how a British Bimbashi went out after a cob just as I did, and wounded it slightly. It went off into long grass, the Bimbashi following. Those on board the steamer then saw a bit of by-play worth attention. As the Bimbashi moved on, so did another keen hunter ; as he stopped, so did the other. A lion was tracking the sportsman in turn, but the unsuspecting man fortunately returned without having been attacked by his unseen antagonist, innocent as he was of all knowledge that he had been in danger from a deadly enemy, and from the other point of view