Diary Page

October 1896

Thursday October 1st 1896

Also did several birds Alexander shot. Boys all busy fetching in meat. Huge bush fires going all round - expect it is these fiendish natives did it to drive away the elephant. Developed 12 photographs and found all my first elephant ones fogged, the changing box having stuck - forced us to open it.

Friday October 2nd 1896

K. and I started away together in hopes of finding fresh elephant spoor to the S. E. of Chiperone. Did some awful walking - huge ravines and gorges, but all to no purpose – much disappointed after a long round, coming back close to the foot of the mountain without seeing any fresh spoor; came to the conclusion our troop had all left for some of the other outlying Koppies. Caught another pretty snake. Developed 14 photographs.

Saturday October 3rd 1896

Again started out on a voyage of discovery different ways, hoping to find some of our friends had returned. I struck a huge buffalo spoor at 8 o'clock and we followed it up till 10.30 when I came on two feeding in a pretty but thick bit of grass and jungle. I got my 10 bore into play - first shot brought him round as I ran up to him to get a better shot. As he looked like business I got a splendid chest shot which made him change his mind - quickly brought him down with my 450. An hour sufficed to send head into camp; then with my two gun boys started to complete my circle. We climbed a very high peak &

had a splendid view of Chiperone and Macoombie. Coming along rather carelessly, being only a mile from camp, suddenly ran on to 5 eland feeding. I thought I had stopped a right and left, but before I could get up they recovered and went along - being dead tired and my leg awfully bad - I struggled on, kept seeing one badly wounded hobbling along. Somehow the boys played the fool and I made them return and take up the blood spoor afresh. Not many hundred yards and we came on an eland standing very sorry for itself and bleeding hard. Two more solid bullets moved it on, finally finding a 27 ½ inch cow laid down dying. K. got a small rhino so we had a fair day, my buffalo being 40 inches.

1 Rhino .

1 Buffalo.

1 Eland.

Sunday October 4th 1896

Stayed in camp all day working at buffalo and eland heads. Capitan returned with letter from Hillier saying no boys at Chirono . Our Pinda contingent also said they wanted to go home when month was up, so we had to change our plans. K. had a long walk round but saw nothing. Elephant gone clean away.

Monday October 5th 1896

Moved back to our main camp at 2 o'clock. Sent boys to hire more men at the kraals round. K.went to our water near elephant corpses to catch butterflies while I finished heads.

Tuesday October 6th 1896

Hard at work repacking enough of our loads to take along. Mustered 12 boys, so got all our skins and heads along. Had a last wash in our hippo pool. Started away about 2 o'clock - heat awful. Had tea on the river after 2 hours; then one hour and halted for night on the Intambi river. Saw heaps of fresh birds all along.

Wednesday October 7th 1896

Started at 7 and had some very rough going. After 2 hours when heat was bad, and K. and I were going along anyhow at head of column, we suddenly saw a large troop of buffalo feeding 50 yards ahead. K. fired while I was trying to pull rifle out of cases and get loaded, my boy having both. Then Waterloo began, for the troop luckily bore straight down on us. Firing and rushing after them. I dropped a fair good cow. Away again over hill and dale - loading, firing. At last the troop turned to K. He landed a bull and I followed my wounded animals, coming on 2 standing and laying behind a rock. I dropped one small one as I rushed

past after the fine cow which was up and away. Soon finished her off and then went back to K. and summed up the bag, 6 Buffalo. You cannot imagine the agony we endured from heat while photographing, cutting heads off, and skinning same. March for day broken up; camped a mile on and sent back for more boys to help us along next day. Boys fetched loads of meat in. Went to bed fairly worn out.

6 Buffalo.

Thursday October 8th 1896

Up early at 5 o'clock. Heads all to pack carefully not being dry. Head man came in with meat and tomatoes; also 5 boys to help us along. Started away at 8.30. Two hours brought us to a kraal where we had to stay all the hot hours of day to finish last buffalo skin and get all dried off a little. At 3.30 got away again and had a long march of 4 hours when we crossed the Luagi. Locusts going over in millions. Struck a large kraal at 7.15 - weary and hungry. Boys came trailing in and the kettle was soon going. Saw troop of zebra, hartbeest and heaps of buffalo spoor.

Friday October 9th 1896

Left the kraal at 7 - did 2 hours and rested awhile, then one hour over the flat brought us into Chiromo. Found a canoe with large hole in; nearly all went to the bottom when crossing Ruo. Breakfast with Tscheira. Had a horrid dusty camp. Dined with M’Donnell at the Resident House.

Saturday October 10th 1896

Breakfast with Tscheira and arranged to get boys to fetch in our heads and loads. Paid off all our old porters. Dined with M’Donnell again. Moved our camp into their grounds on river bank. Mosquitoes awful.

Sunday October 11th 1896

Moore came in with the Cameron - no letters. Cp. Nicholas returned. We had breakfast with him on the gunboat Herald. Heavy rain at night - much colder. Went on to see Moore after dinner

Monday October 12th 1896

Got 54 boys away to fetch in our loads from Chiperone camp. Breakfast with Moore on the Cameron. Gunboat officers with Skeffington, Smythe and Gough went up the Ruo to shoot 2 days. Tea and dinner with Macdonald.

Tuesday October 13th 1896

Breakfast with Macdonald. Came up Ruo in a dug-out Canoe. Shot several birds on way up. Stopped at midday at Cp. Nicholas' camp and had a meal - 3 hours to there, then 4 ½ hours on, getting up at 7.30 - quite moonlight. Hard work getting canoe up rapid and over the shallows. Only put up our cots and turned in.

Wednesday October 14th 1896

Up at 5 о'clock and away from camp at by 6. I shot 2 nyassa, 1 sable and a hartbeest. Having only 2 men sent one back for camera while I and Raja hunted round. Got lost or rather lost the sable. Had 2 hours wandering about in awful heat. Took photos - came back to camp and with no shade was almost ill with the heat at 3 o'clock. Found all my birds quite bad with heat. among others the first large kingfisher - quite new to me. K. shot a sable and wart-hog - also a hare which we ate for supper. I could have killed several hartbeest and quite a dozen more nyassa

2 Sable.

2 Nyassa.

1 Hartbeest.

1 Wart-hog.

Thursday October 15th 1896

After finishing skins hired 5 kraal boys and started to try for a hippo in river. Shot 2 nyassa and had lunch with Cp. Nicholas. After that searched river all along. Finding no canoe and close to Chiromo, walked in. Dined with Macdonald.

2 Nyassa

Friday October 16th 1896

Intended going for hippo after lunch but K. came down river and killed a small one; went up and found it ashore -took photo. Lunch with Nicholas - dined with Macdonald.

1 Hippo.

Saturday October 17th 1896

Busy packing heads and goods all day. Breakfast with Giblert. Cricket in afternoon. Dined with Macdonald. Blew a hurricane.

Sunday October 18th 1896

Still busy packing- Macdonald went out shooting. Dined with Cormidant on Portuguese side of river - Mr. Marciel.

Monday October 19th 1896

Breakfast with Macdonald. Scorpion came in with Irwin on board. Had a hard day's work packing. Dined with Withers. Letters from England.

Tuesday October 20th 1896

Breakfast at 6. 30 with Macdonald. Went after hippo before dressing. Left on Scorpion at 7 a.m. all boys and luggage excepting heavy cases - stuck on several sand-banks. Reached within one mile of Pinda - heavy gale of wind made us tie up.

Wednesday October 21st 1896

Called at Pinda after sticking on sand. Ran short of wood - had to stop and fetch in what could be collected. Tied up to sand-bank.

Thursday October 22nd 1896

Reached Shupanga about 11 a.m. Landed things - lunch with Paullina - tea with the Padre Torrens also dined with him - K. and I went after hippo but only wounded one badly.

Friday October 23rd 1896

Thunderstorms all round - our camp rather nice and cool on river bank. Went off in boat and sat from 6 till 1.30 on a hot sand-bank. Had shots at hippo.

Saturday October 24th 1896

Took out boat, cruised down river, round islands looking for hippo - shot egret and heron. Going up river found several hippo back in old pool - landed on bank and had a shot - after some tea took to the boat. I badly wounded two at least - dined with the Fathers Italie and Torrend .

Sunday October 25th 1896

K. went up river to look for dead hippo. I saw one on sand opposite camp. Went over and photographed - brought head and meat across. Crocodiles spoilt the head skin. Princess came in – no letters - wired for boys - K. killed a hippo and it floated in 2 hours. Took boat up and tugged it down to camp. Both fine big cows: Mr. Pembruina and Van Neet both spent the day here.

2 Hippo.

Monday October 26th 1896

Busy all day skinning the hippo head - just got it done before dark, when Moore came in sight on the Cameron. We dined on board. Letters from home – 2 from mother – 2 Schlesinger - Lady G. - Miss Pomeroy - Dean – Hussard - Bishop. Wrote Ray and McDonald.

Tuesday October 27th 1896

Up at 5 a.m. went on board to go up river with Cameron to Misonque - took 3 boys along to buy rice - left in boat at 5 p.m. – dark and got lost in shallows. Arrived home at 11. K. killed 2 Livingstone antelope.

2 Livingstone antelope.

Wednesday October 28th 1896

Leg bad - heat awful - 102 in shaded tent at 3 p.m. Skinning birds -Alex. shot me fish eagle. Took photo of Morgan's tombstone - K. out all day - killed 1 bush-buck, 1 nyassa, 3 Livingstone.

1 Bush-buck. 1 Nyassa. 3 Livingstone Antelope.

Thursday October 29th 1896

Had the hottest day so far - 108 in shade. Skinning birds all day- wired to Moore and Beechin about boys. Two steamers, scorpion and Bruce, came in at night - Pigott on board going to Blantyre.

Friday October 30th 1896

K. went out to the thick bush and got lost. Shot a red duiker, Livingstone and a monkey. Alexander shot me several birds - skinned five.

1 Red Duiker

1 Livingstone

Saturday October 31st 1896

K. felt very bad - clean done up. Awful wind, thunder and rain storms. Busy writing letters. Much cooler luckily. Food given out.