MY SOMALI BOOK 171 



this was, of course, the explanation of the audacity 

 of both. Though whether the big leopard first wounded 

 was the animal that had previously killed the goat 

 and charged my loop-hole, must remain undetermined. 

 Personally I believe he was. 



So much for the night ; the day's resources were 

 yet to discover. I went out and spent the morning 

 looking for kudu, of which there were traces, but 

 without success. At length we had turned camp- 

 wards when suddenly a strange sound crossed the 

 breeze, once, twice repeated, a sort of attenuated 

 imitation of a man-of-war's syren whistle ; and both 

 shikaris gave a spring to attention. Somehow I knew 

 instinctively before Elmi spoke the word, that I had 

 heard, for the first time, the trumpet of the wild 

 elephant. All thoughts of kudu were thrown to the 

 winds. I might not shoot at Marodi, who was under 

 protection of the law, but I must see him. Apparently 

 the sound of the trumpet came from not more than a 

 mile away, and fortunately the wind was right. In 

 ten minutes we were on the fresh trail ; a little farther 

 and we could hear the elephants ahead moving slowly 

 upwind through a fairly thick jungle of mimosas and 

 euphorbia. 



A little way to the right was a small hill, for this 

 we made, and climbing looked down upon the valley. 

 There they were, 300 yards away, seven or eight of 

 them, moving leisurely more or less in file. Not a 

 bit like Jumbo, at first sight, for their colour was red, 

 the hue of their last mud-bath. I did not stop to study 

 them from there, but having located them exactly, 

 descended the hill, and into the jungle again, taking 



