Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27

place, and hot-at the bottom of the
Rift Valley.
After fortnight down there, we'll
go up to the Nzoya River for week or
so after waterbuck and lion, if any"
Yes" said. That's the only COM
ment could make at the moment. Ask
weeks later, when 1t was all over, we ar
ranged terms)
A boy entered with coffee and cake.
Just a little appetizer before dinner"
said Mrs. feathers. The strength we
gained from this light nourishment
moved US to unpack the car and settle
down. Then called my son aside.
Now attend to what follows" I told
him, You're a man now; a licensed
big game hunter. Section Sc of the
Pencal Code says so. Moreover, you're
in Africa. At home, the back of your
ears and important neck areas are your
mothers affairs; here, they're your own.
See that they get such attention as they
deserve" They did From then on. he
gave me no trouble whatsoever on this
score. He completely ignored them.
-. * **
WE dined at Z. It took no time
w to appreciate that Mrs. feathers
was hoSpitable lady, the type of lady
who, II one did not partake at least
three times of each course, put it down
medicine. 1t placed one in terrible
dilemma.
After dinner we played rubber of
bridge. At 9 o'clock Mrs. feathers
served light collation. of milk and cake.
Il don't like to see people go to bed on
an empty stomach she said.
At 6 am. I was reused by native
boy, and flooded with tea.
At 8 we breakfasted, and it was a
breakfast such as men demand as an
inherent right in the great open spaces
coffee. tea. porridge. ham, eggs, oribi
steaks. bread and jam. incidentally, and
to dispose of these gastronomic matters
once and for all. our next meal did not
take place until II o'clock, when a
l light collation. of coffee and cake was
served, with pie as a side dish.
Until l pm. our digestive tracts were
permitted to lie fallow Dinner was
then served: the kind of dinner calcu-
lated to restore the vital force of mus
cular fibers that had been driven hard
soup, meat, potatoes. vegetables, pastry,
coffee Then. for an hour, We INDUCED
in "Shut-eye." At 4 o'clock there was
a good sound tea; at 6, coffee and cake :
at T. dinner It was culinary cycle
that would have strained the capacity
of a vulture.
Mr.. feathers sent "chits" to several
neighbours inviting them to assemble at
his home Sunday morning for drive -
These drives took place at spasmodic in
tervals-in fact, whenever any one felt
moved to organize one. Each guest
brought his own boys" with him, and
on such an occasion 200 vociferouS
1irpk,k in In sc tNo nj
yard like a pack of beagles eager to
have their leashes slipped. On this
particular drive" Flint acted as mas
ter of the hounds. We set out blithely
about 10 o'clock, seven guns strong.
A dry swamp or "flei." 200 yards In
width, was selected after a walk of
some miles. The "boys" deployed into
a line that stretched straight across it:
entering Its tall, dry grass, they wendell
their invisible way down its length,
beating the matted vegetation with
short sticks, and uttering whoops and
yells. .. i.
Dividing into two groups, we proceed
ed along each edge. AS the reedbuck,
bushbuck; .duikers, or what not, broke
cover to escape from the beaters, we
bombarded them. They were feet ami
mails, 40 or SO pounds in weight, and
oUlllC Vi OAlC l4llC oliOOGllS tAAdt bOOkA
place seemed nothing short Of phe-
nomenal-to me, at any rate. Even my
son knocked them down in their tracks.
We drove three "f1eis'' in this man.
ner, with a bag Of eight reedbuck and
three. bushbuck Then we drew out
into the open veldt for the final "round-
up" -. The boys were marched off in a
loose column, with Flint at the head
and the guns spread out at intervals OF
400 or. 500 yards. This single column
was eventually Topped around until ii
formed a compile circle almost a mile
in diameter Within the Enclosure sew
eral hundred head of game was sur
rounded as it grazed: Then the ring
was slowly contracted.
As 1t narrowed the frightened ami
mails made wild dashes for freedom
This was the signal for the opening OF
hcstilities. BY threes and tours the
game was dropped to earth. The tighter
the circle was drawn the more desperate
became the rush Of the trapped animals
and the more erratic the gun fire. Soon
the circumference. of our, circle was sc
contracted that we shot directly across
it into one another. 1t was only neces-
sary for me to see two bullets pillow ur
the ground not 10 yards away from my
| feet to become complete fanatic
against this form of sport .-- : -
| The worst Of 1t was, once having
started to play, 1t was impossible tt
throw down ones racquet and walk of
the court. That would have been sheer
suicide, 1t seemed to me that my son
who was now only a couple of hundred
yards on my right. was deliberately
| trying to wing me. Everybo' wa:
| taking shots at me. They seemed tt
! think was a reedbuck yelled ant
eJ, rx,,,> <H tho oi,.o