Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



and then eight cows and young in a bunch. 

 They had almost got past, and were very nearly 

 right for us to make the wind good. 



" Here's a better bull coming now ! " from my 

 savage. And without more ado the gun-bearers 

 took matters into their own hands, and ordered 

 me off on the chase once more. We took infinite 

 precautions. The savages were very careful 

 about the elephants, as usual, that they should not 

 get our wind. There is another thing to bear in 

 mind. When elephants are feeding, which they 

 do whilst slowly moving along, it will be found 

 that the largest bulls, i.e. those carrying the 

 heaviest tusks, always come last ; and as they 

 feed up wind, it suits one's book to a tick to 

 follow them on from behind in comparative 

 safety, well in the rear of the herd, till one gets 

 a clear shot at the biggest bull. 



On this occasion, though I had been sum- 

 marily ordered to move up to the herd by my 

 men, my retainers hung about and waited for 

 ages, it seemed, till they acquiesced in my en- 

 treaties to get closer. At last, after much 

 apparently useless poking about, they said 

 " Come on ! " When once we had started again 

 my head orderly turned and explained that when 

 elephant are feeding slowly like this there might 

 quite easily be some brute of a cow or young 

 independent bull lagging lazily in rear or on the 

 flanks of the herd. 



268 



