244 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



At certain times of year also elephants frequent 

 the banks of the Tsavo in considerable numbers. 

 We saw many old signs, and once came upon 

 the fresh path of a small herd. The great beasts 

 had passed by that very morning. We gazed 

 with considerable awe on limbs snatched bodily 

 from trees ; on flat-topped acacias a foot in 

 diameter pulled up by the roots and stood up- 

 side down ; on tree trunks twisted like ropes. 



Of the game by far the most abundant were 

 the beautiful red impalla. We caught glimpses of 

 their graceful bodies gliding in and out of sight 

 through the bushes ; or came upon them stand- 

 ing in small openings, their delicate ears pointed 

 to us. They and the tiny dikdik furnished our 

 table; and an occasional water-buck satisfied 

 the men. One day we came on one of the latter 

 beasts sound asleep in a tiny open space. He was 

 lying down, and his nose rested against the earth, 

 just like a very old family horse in a paddock. 



Besides these common species were bush-buck, 

 wart-hog, lesser kudu, giraffe, and leopard. The 

 bush-buck we jumped occasionally quite near at 

 hand. They ducked their heads low and rushed 

 tearingly to the next cover. The leopard we 

 heard sighing every night, and saw their pad 

 marks next day ; but only twice did we catch 



