CH. X] TOWARDS THE Gl^EAT FOREST 243 



crops. To the 'Ndorobo, and to them alone, the vast, 

 thick forest was an open book ; without their aid as 

 guides both Cuninghanie and our own gun-bearers were 

 at fault, and found tlieir way around with great 

 difficulty and slowness. The bush ])eople had notliing 

 in the way of clothing sa\e a blanket over the shoulders, 

 but wore the usual paint and grease and ornaments ; 

 each carried a spear which might have a long and 

 narrow, or short and broad blade ; two of them wore 

 headdresses o/V^'//;^?— skull-caps made from the inside of 

 a sheep's stomach. 



P'or two days after reaching our camp in the open 

 glade on the mountain side it rained. We were glad of 

 this, because it meant that the elephants would not be 

 in the bamboos, and Cuninghame and the 'Ndorobo 

 went off to hunt for fresh signs. Cuninghame is as 

 skilful an elephant-hunter as can be found in Africa, and 

 is one of the very few white men able to help even the 

 wild bushmen at their work. Ry the afternoon of the 

 second day they were fairly well satisfied as to the 

 whereabouts of the quarry. 



The following morning a fine rain was still falling 

 when Cuninghame, Heller, and I started on our hunt, 

 but by noon it had stopped. Of course, we went in 

 single file and on foot : not even a bear-hunter from the 

 cane-brakes of the lower Mississippi could ride through 

 that forest. We left our home camp standing, taking 

 blankets and a coat and change of underclothiixT for 

 each of us, and two small Whymper tents, with enough 

 food for three days ; I also took my wash kit and a book 

 from the pigskin library. First marched the 'Xdorobo 

 guides, each witli his spear, his blanket round his 

 shoulders, and a little bundle of corn and sweet potato. 

 Then came Cuninghame, followed by his gun-bearer. 



