730 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



with thick, low thorn scrub, all the trees the same height 

 and the ground flat and without land marks. It was abso- 

 lutely waterless except a few water holes scraped in dry 

 sand river beds, and these days apart, weather scorching hot, 

 and ground covered with sharp quartz and granite, loose 

 stones. Found our first water at noon on the second day; 

 got the men in without loads, and the donkeys not until the 

 next day. The water, which was almost undrinkable ow- 

 ing to strong alkaline salts, was in old Rendile wells, 8 

 and lo feet below the surface of the ground. What was my 

 astonishment at 4 p. m., on the day we struck water to 

 see a herd of elephants, cows, and totos (young and half- 

 grown animals) pass within 50 yards of our camp, go and 

 drink from our wells, and march off again. Eventually I 

 found another water hole and lots more elephant. The 

 water made the men sick. I found the next water 40 miles 

 north of these wells and it was absolutely stinking and un- 

 touched even by giraffe. It had not rained up here for 

 ^yi years and the heat was really very trying. 



"A word about your grand 450 [a Holland double-barrel, 

 like Mr. Roosevelt's own] for it saved my life twice on this 

 expedition when out elephant hunting. On the first occa- 

 sion I had quite unexpectedly found three elephants standing 

 under some palm trees on the bank of a dry river bed. I 

 took my companion up to look over the animals. We were 

 on the opposite bank of the dry river and we went up to 

 about 30 yards to look them over. They proved to be 

 two cows with calves and a three parts grown animal, sex 

 undetermined. My companion wished to take a kodak as 

 they made such a typical African scene. He fussed about 

 with the kodak and I saw that the elephants had grown sus- 



