THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 34^
4ied about twenty yards diftance; but all the reft that could efcape fled without looking back, or ihewing any kind of refentment : I then took my mufquet in my hand, and flood, prepared with my bayonet, behind the tree, but fired no more, not knowing what their humour or difpofition might be as to a return upon acceflion of new compani- ons.
About twenty fmall foxes, and a flock of fereral hun- dred Guinea-fowls, now came up from the infide of the pool. The fowls lighted immediately, and ran back again to the water. The foxes retired quickly into the woods. Whether they had aflembled with a view of getting a fliare of the deer, an animal of this kind being generally attendant upon the lion, or whether, as is moft likely, they were feeking the Guinea-fowls, I do not know. I fufpect it •was the latter, by their number ; for never more than one at a time is remarked to accompany the lion.
We obferved a. variety of traps and cages, forae of them very ingenious, which the Daveina, or other Arabs, had fet to catch thefe birds, feveral of which we found dead in thefe fnares, and fome of them had not yet been touched by beafts ; and as there was but a fmall diftance between the traps and the water's edge, which could only be an- fwerable to a fev/ days evaporation, we with great rea- fon inferred, that the Daveina, or fome other Arabs, had been there a very fliort time before. We found in the mud of the pool large green flieli-fnails, with the animals alive in them ; fome of them weighed very near a pound, in no- thing, but fize and thicknefs of the fhell, different from common garden-fnails. Vol. IV. .X x 'Not
