46 IN BRIGHTEST AFRICA 
the trail amongst the low bush in the opening but it 
merely wandered about repeatedly bringing me back 
to the place where I had first seen the fresh tracks, and 
I realized that I might do this indefinitely without 
getting closer to the elephants. I decided to go out- 
side the opening and circle around it to see if I could 
find the trail of my bulls as they entered the forest. 
This opening was at the point on the mountain where 
the forest proper and the bamboos merged. I fol- 
lowed an elephant path out of the opening on the 
bamboo side and had gone but a little way when I 
discovered fresh signs of my three bulls, who had 
evidently left the opening by the same path that I 
was following, and at about the same time I heard 
the crackling of bamboo ahead, probably about two 
hundred yards away. This was the signal for prep- 
aration for the final stalk. 
I stood for a moment watching one of the trackers 
going up the trail to a point where it turned at right 
angles in the direction of the sounds I had heard. 
There he stopped at rest, having indicated to me by 
signs that they had gone in that direction. I turned 
my back to the trail, watching the porters select a 
place to lay down their loads amidst a clump of large 
trees that would afford some protection in case of a 
stampede in their direction. The gun boys came for- 
ward presenting the guns for inspection. I took the 
gun from the second boy, sending him back with the 
porters. After examining this gun I gave it to the 
first boy and took his. When I had examined this 
I leaned it against my body while I chafed my hands 
