ELEPHANT HUNTING ON MOUNT KENYA dol 
ones had all been there for their portion, 
and on following one of the many trails 
which radiated in all directions through 
the jungle, we found several huge pieces 
of flesh where the leopards had concealed 
them for future reference. 
The news of a kill spreads rapidly 
among the native Wandorobo hunters 
and in a short time they had gathered 
from all quarters. Little camps of men, 
women and children, were scattered all 
about the place, while over each fire 
festoons of elephant ‘“biltong’’ were 
being cured for the future. The killing 
of an elephant is a blessing to these poor 
wretches. 
Finally six days had passed, six days 
of exhausting, disagreeable work; but 
the skin, reduced by shaving to half its 
original weight, and thoroughly salted, 
had been made into three oblong pack- 
ages and firmly lashed to long 
ready for the porters, four or more for 
poles, 
each load, to begin their heart-breaking 
journey out of the forest. All in camp 
were now in good spirits for the worst 
of the work was past; the sick had 
recovered — there had been much illness 
in camp during the week, and everyone 
was keen to be on the hunt again. 
The guides and gun-bearers had been 
sent out to determine, if possible, 
whether or not there were elephants in 
the vicinity. There still remained the 
cow to be secured, and Bibi was en- 
titled to another bull—if she could 
get him. Before noon the gun-bearers 
returned to report that they had found 
a herd only two hours from camp. 
For an hour and a half we followed 
our guides along well-defined _ trails 
through the heavy timber, where there 
was a minimum of undergrowth to im- 
pede our progress. When we came to 
the place where the herd had been seen 
we began beating about in an effort to 
locate a trail which would give some 
indication of the direction in which they 
had gone, but before we had succeeded in 
this, a squeal of fright and a mighty 
crash warned us that the honor of dis- 
covery belonged with the elephants. 
We had unwittingly given them the wind 
and they were off. We had every reason 
to hope that they would not go far before 
settling down again, as these elephants 
have had but little experience with the 
terrible white man and his weapons. 
As they were scattered about feeding, 
at the time they took alarm, it required 
some little time to pick up the main trail 
where they had moved off in a body, 
but within a half hour we were within 
hearing distance of them, and_ the 
occasional crack of a breaking branch 
told us that they were quietly feeding 
again. The wind being favorable, we 
worked carefully forward, until when 
nearing their position, there was a 
sudden movement of the whole herd 
across our front, and the sudden appari- 
tion of the great rounded back of an 
elephant, ten paces in front, combined 
with the noise made in the hurried “ get 
away’ of a troup of Colobus monkeys 
in the tree tops above us, was sufficient 
to create the impression that we were 
surrounded by elephants. 
much 
It was too 
Bibi’s overstrained. nerves 
and she ran back a few steps, exclaim- 
for 
ing under her breath, “They are com- 
ing!’ Then, checking herself, she stood 
while the whole herd passed in front 
showing only the tops of their heads and 
backs above the high dense bushes. 
They had not detected our presence 
and all was well, provided Bibi had not 
lost her “ nerve,”’ in which case we would 
have to give up the hunt. Had we not 
been screened from sight of the elephants 
when she ran, the move might have led 
to disaster. None realized this more 
keenly than did Bibi herself, but when 
the question of giving up was put to her, 
