Hunting in East Africa 



is now in the Smithsonian Institute at Wash- 

 ington, and, according to the measurement 

 made by Mr. Rowland Ward, Piccadilly, Lon- 

 don, it ranks among the first five heads ever 

 set up by him. 



After sending the head, skin and meat back 

 to camp, I continued my way along the shore 

 of the swamp. The day had begun well and 

 I hardly hoped for any further sport, but I was 

 pleasantly disappointed. 



Toward 1 1 o'clock I entered a tall acacia 

 forest, and had not proceeded far in it before 

 my steps were arrested by the sight of three 

 elephants, lying down not loo yards from me. 

 They got our wind at once, and were up and 

 off before I could get a shot. I left all my men 

 but one gun-bearer on the outskirts of the for- 

 est and followed upon the trail of the elephant. 

 I had not gone fifteen minutes before I had 

 traversed the forest, and entered the thick and 

 almost impenetrable bush beyond it. And 

 hardly had I forced my way a few paces into 

 this bush, when a sight met my eyes which 

 made me stop and think. Sixty yards away, 

 his head towering above the surrounding bush, 

 stood a monstrous tusker. His trunk was 

 curled over his back in the act of sprinkling 



43 



