scheme. After having partially
surrounded the herd, the half-circle of coolies began to advance with
wild shouts, whereupon the zebras galloped madly about from side to
side, and then did just what we wished them to do--made straight for an
exceptionally boggy part of the ground, where they soon became more or
less helpless. We singled out a few young ones and succeeded in running
them to an absolute standstill, when we threw them down and sat on
their heads until the other men came up with ropes. In this way we
captured no less than six: they were very wild and fractious, giving us
a great deal of trouble in getting them along, but eventually we
managed to bring them in triumph to the camp, where they were firmly
secured. The whole expedition lasted little more than a couple of hours.

Three of the captured zebras I kept for myself, while the other three
were given to the Surfacing Engineer, whose men had assisted in the
hunt. Two of my three unfortunately died very shortly after; but the
third, a sturdy two-year-old, flourished splendidly. At first he was
exceedingly vicious, biting and kicking everyone who approached him;
indeed, he once planted both his hind feet on my chest, but did me no
serious damage beyond throwing me heavily to the ground. In time,
however, he became very tame and domesticated, allowing himself to be
led about by a rope and head collar, and would drink from a bucket and
eat from my hand. He used to be left to graze picketed by a long rope
to a stake in the ground; but one afternoon on returning to camp I
found, much to my annoyance, that he had disappeared. On making
enquiry, I learned from my servants that a herd of wild zebra had
galloped close by, and that this had so excited him that he managed to
tear the picketing peg out of the ground and so rejoin his brethren in
freedom.

Some few days after our successful sortie against the zebra, the great
caravan of Basoga porters returned from the coast on their way back to
their own country; but alas, with what a terrible difference in their
appearance! All their gaiety and lightheartedness was gone, and the
poor fellows were in a pitiable state. A frightful epidemic of
dysentery had broken out amongst them, doubtless caused by their having
eaten food to which they were entirely unaccustomed, their simple diet
in their own homes consisting almost entirely of bananas, from which
they also make a most refreshing and stimulating drink. The ranks o