Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



dividing barrier between two big broad valleys 

 which sloped down to the Nile, to see if we could 

 not cut across the tracks of our intended victims 

 on the way. This procedure would show us up 

 which of these valleys the bull and his ladies had 

 travelled, as they certainly could not have crossed 

 the mountain-top. 



We had found a path, and the eastern sky was 

 just becoming tinged with the first faint flush of 

 early dawn, when from our right front we heard 

 a crack, and then another. I turned round and 

 saw my men with their fingers on their lips. I 

 simply couldn't believe our luck in finding the 

 elephants so soon and so near — we were not yet 

 more than half-way to the mountain. There was 

 no wind, so we sat down and waited till there was 

 light enough to see to shoot, whilst one of the 

 gun-bearers disappeared into the bush for recon- 

 noitring purposes. He was back in a twinkling 

 with the welcome news that it was a different lot 

 to yesterday's, namely, a big bull and two smaller 

 ones. 



What stupendous luck ! A bare forty-five 

 minutes from camp! The elephants were un- 

 suspiciously feeding along a small watercourse 

 on the opposite bank to me, above the reeds 

 which fringed its rocky edge. It was an ideal 

 place for a shot, as the khor was some fifteen 

 yards wide only, and practically impassable to 

 them where they then were. 



262 



