THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



been made by a bull elephant. If smaller, and with the 

 marks of the hind feet very much of an oval, almost pointed 

 shape, it is reasonably certain that they have been made 

 by a female elephant. As elephants often walk one behind 

 the other in each others' steps, particularly when trekking, 

 the imprint of the feet must be very carefully examined, 

 for several animals may have used exactly the same track 

 for some distance. This is, however, not very difficult to 

 determine, for it is readily seen by the careful observer that 

 the dififerent imprints do not cover each other altogether. 



Imagine that the fresh track of a good-sized bull ele- 

 phant has been found! Before it is followed up, how- 

 ever, the direction of the wind must be carefully consid- 

 ered, for no animal seems to be able to scent a man as 

 quickly and as far as the elephant. If the wind is " right " 

 — i. e., blowing in the face of the one following the track — 

 he may go on as fast as possible, yet taking good care not 

 to break twigs or to make any other unnecessary noise. 

 The accompanying gun bearers and others should be for- 

 bidden to utter a word as the party hastens on, carefully 

 observing the track. As, strange to say, only a very few 

 natives of British East Africa are really good trackers, 

 the hunter is often entirely dependent on his own wood- 

 craft and skill in this respect. Suddenly another elephant 

 spoor may join the first one at an angle, then another and 

 another, until soon there is a whole maze of tracks, in 

 which the sportsman can find no trace of his old bull ! 



The new tracks may show that a whole herd of ele- 

 phants, including a good many females and " babies," have 

 trekked along, and from the unbroken trees along the 

 broad " elephant road " it is easily understood that the 



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