BRITISH EAST AFRICA 213 



but the sex of the owner I could not determine. 

 Hassan took the glass. The head moved into the 

 shadows. " Buck ! " said he triumphantly. To him 

 any male animal was a buck buffalo, elephant, lion, 

 or antelope. In a similar manner a lion always 

 " shouted," as did a bird. At first it sounded rather 

 funny to be told he could hear a bird shouting. The 

 'Ndorobo during our investigation had prudently 

 remained in the rear, but we made him follow the 

 tracks, though it was obviously not a job for which 

 he had much liking. For a long time we followed 

 through dense bush, our only help the buffalo trails 

 which crossed in all directions. 



Imagine looking down on a forest from a balloon. 

 It covers low hills which slope away to the plain 

 until they imperceptibly melt into one. Here and 

 there are openings such as I have described. Spits 

 of bush run out into the plain in the wake of 

 low ridges which are themselves engulfed in forest. 

 This, save for the open clearings in which the grass 

 stands yellow, appears dense and green. Now come 

 underneath. Overhead the thorns and evergreens 

 almost shut out the light of day. Dense thickets 

 close in on every side, but from the grass-grown 

 clearings you may see tunnel- like passages half ob- 

 scured by growth. Follow one of these and you 

 are in a buffalo trail. They cross and re-cross in 

 every direction until at length they run into bare 

 patches of earth overhung by twisted, curving roots 

 and creepers. The grass beneath is flat and beaten. 



