V "NANSIA INXUBU" 79 



out at a brisk pace in single file. After following 

 the spoor for about another hour along this path, it 

 once more left it, and struck off again in the old 

 direction across the hills, and, just here getting 

 amongst a lot of yesterday's tracks, ^ye had great 

 difficulty in following it ; but at length Minyama, 

 with the sagacity and perseverance of a bloodhound, 

 ferreted it out, and away we went again. About 

 eleven o'clock we got into a patch of very thick 

 scrubby bush (what the Kafirs call " idoro " bush), 

 in a deep kloof between the hills, and here we went 

 along with great care and caution, expecting every 

 instant to see the elephants, as I made sure they 

 would not pass a place so favourable for their mid-day 

 siesta ; howev^er, they went clean out of here, and up 

 the steep hill on the other side. Arrived at the top, 

 we looked down upon a large kloof, enclosed on all 

 sides with steep hills, and covered with dense bush, 

 thicker a good deal than that we had just come 

 through, and as 1 looked I felt sure my friends were 

 standing sleeping not many hundred yards off (it 

 being now about mid-day, and the sun very hot). 



The Kafirs here took off their raw-hide sandals, 

 that they might walk more quietly, and following 

 the spoor carefully, we descendeci cautiously into the 

 depths of the kloof, and near the centre of it came 

 to a place from which they had evidently not long 

 moved on, as the dung was still warm. Before we 

 had proceeded a hundred yards farther, Minyama 

 suddenly came to a halt, and crouching down, with 

 his arm pointing forwards and his head turned 

 towards me, whispered, " Nansia incubu " (There are 

 the elephants). Ah, how those two words thrill 

 through the hunter's breast, making his heart leap 

 again with concentrated excitement I 



