2 12 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



top of the water. The trees around the camp were 

 red with festoons of meat, and as the elephant was 

 excessively fat (and a Kafir would sell his soul for 

 that delicacy), there was great rejoicing and feasting 

 that night throughout my bivouac. The tusks, I 

 forgot to say, though short, were thick and heavy, 

 weighing 52 lbs. each. 



Betore dawn next morning I was aroused by a 

 great commotion and chattering, and on inquiring 

 what the matter was, I learned through my interpreter 

 that a messenger had arrived, bringing a report that 

 an expedition sent out by Sipopo was approaching, 

 to clear these marshes of inhabitants. I pooh-poohed 

 the idea, and still believe the intelligence was false, 

 for what booty could Sipopo expect to obtain from 

 these wretched people ^ But a panic had seized them, 

 and all argument was useless, and as I did not quite 

 fancy being left without canoes on this island, there 

 was no alternative but to pack up my traps and sub- 

 mit to being again paddled back to the mainland. 

 This was a great disappointment, as I had hoped to 

 spend at least another week pottering about in the 

 marsh. I have omitted to say that on this large 

 island, and also on the one where I shot the buffaloes, 

 I found great numbers of tsetse flies, though I saw 

 none of these insects on any of the smaller islands I 

 visited. Eleven canoes were told off to carry me, 

 together with my servants and baggage, and all the 

 rest went off' to see after the women and children. 

 Nothing of any consequence occurred on the return 

 journey, and late in the afternoon we again reached 

 the mainland, after an absence of four days. That 

 evening I camped at several hundred yards' distance 

 from the river, in order to escape from the mosquitoes, 

 which were now as numerous and troublesome along 



