XX FRENCH STILL ABSENT 433 



continually trying to make his way back to our 

 camp, until he became exhausted by the heat and 

 from want of water, and then felt too weak ever to 

 reach the river. 



Early the next day, September 26, Miller and I 

 took some of the best spooring Kafirs and tried to 

 follow up the tracks of the elephant French had 

 pursued the preceding day. The ground, however, 

 was very difficult to spoor in, as it was covered for 

 the most part with tufts of short curly grass, on 

 which neither the elephant nor its pursuers had left 

 much impression. No one but a Bushman could 

 have followed a spoor well in such ground. In the 

 afternoon, whilst we were returning to camp, we saw 

 vultures settling not far off, and going to the place, 

 found the remains of a cjiraffe. Amono-st the 

 contents of the paunch of this animal we founci a 

 bullet that had been fired unmistakably from French's 

 8-bore rifle, and we at once felt sure that the two 

 shots we had heard shortly after reaching camp the 

 preceding day must have been fired by him at this 

 giraffe. Though we searched carefully, we could 

 not find any traces of footprints about the carcase. 

 Upon returning to camp and hearing that French 

 had not arrived, we thought that after reaching the 

 river he had probably gone back to Mamele's, where 

 we had left a supply of stores, ammunition, etc., in 

 charge of one of my waggon-drivers ; so I went to 

 the headman amongst the Kafirs who were with us 

 and got him to give me two boys to go direct with 

 a letter through the bush to Mamele's, telling French 

 that we would return to the river on the next day 

 but one, and would meet him at Sasinkoro's town. 

 At the same time I sent him his small rifle and his 

 blankets. 



2 F 



