d24 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
to be awakened at early dawn by the 
distant trumpeting of elephants. 
Many another night we had forgotten 
disappointment and weariness in a 
comfortable camp, perhaps lulled to sleep 
despite the cries of hyenas and the cough- 
ing of leopards which gathered about 
the camp, by the patter of raindrops 
on the tent. 
Now at sundown of the third day 
on the trail of an old bull elephant, we 
came out of the bamboos, up on the 
heather-clad summit of Abadare Moun- 
tain. The spoor here led us along a 
migration path, a path over which 
countless thousands of elephants must 
have passed in their migrations from one 
feeding ground to another, for in places 
the solid rock was worn to a depth of 
several inches. 
We were greatly discouraged and 
camped beside the trail. The little 
firewood that we were able to collect 
was so wet that it required a forced 
draught to keep it alight and after pre- 
paring our supper the fire was allowed to 
die down; and Bibi slept with nothing 
but her blankets to protect her from the 
rain and frost. 
When in the morning we had emerged 
from our chrysalids of icy blankets, 
thawed ourselves out and were prepar- 
ing to start on our return journey, the 
sun broke through and dispelled the 
mists, disclosing to our view a scene 
which held us spellbound; from our 
feet, down between the glistening slopes 
of a bamboo-clad valley, on and across 
a billowy sea of fleecy clouds, to the 
rugged, rocky, snow-clad peaks of Mount 
Kenya, our gaze roamed and lingered. 
Many times during the past months 
had we seen this beautiful mountain 
and from many points, but never so 
close, and never had it so impressed us. 
We knew of it as a land of promise to the 
elephant hunter, but it was forbidden 
ground, and we little dreamed that it 
would ever be for us to try our fortunes 
within the domains of this snow-mantled 
goddess of the Equator. We turned 
wearily to retrace our steps campwards, 
determined to strike into the mountains 
farther to the north. 
We were off bright and early on the 
following morning to the Government 
Boma at Nvyeri, along the summit of 
the Abadare, down into the moss and 
creeper-draped forest of the lower levels, 
and out into the open hill country of the 
Wakikuyu. 
When at Boma however, we received 
information which gave us a new hope. 
Instead of going back into the moun- 
tains, we made a two-day march to Fort 
Hall where to our great delight, we re- 
ceived permission to hunt elephants on 
Mount Kenya. 
We went from Fort Hall to the base 
of Kenya, through the thickly populated 
country of the Wakikuyu, where no 
white woman had passed before, which 
until within a few months had been un- 
safe for a white man. The first sign of 
our quarry was a field of sweet pota- 
toes which had been “harvested” by 
elephants the night before. Bibi re- 
mained at first with the main camp at 
the edge of the forest. The remainder 
of the expedition spent many days in 
locating the feeding grounds of the ele- 
phants in the primitive forest and in 
the bamboo jungle farther up the moun- 
tain side; and two exciting days with a 
herd of elephants in jungle so dense that 
we could almost touch, but scarcely see 
them, finally killing two bulls, one azzs:.. 
“charger”? who gave us no choice*but to ~ 
kill or be killed. All this however I 
shall pass over, for this is to be the story 
of Bibi’s hunt. 
Finally we sent a message bidding 
Bibi come; with the keenness of an old 
campaigner she brought the safari to the 
te 
