BRITISH EAST AFRICA 247 



it was no thunder that I heard, and that elephants 

 were somewhere close at hand. 



The track led us on to a space partially cleared. 

 Long grasses grew about it, from which great trees 

 reared themselves aloft, towering above even the 

 bamboos, from which, as we listened, came another 

 angry trumpet. A vast grey back slid slowly across 

 the glade and vanished. So noiselessly did it come 

 and go that I could hardly realise I had actually seen 

 a wild elephant. The wind was bad, so we retraced 

 our steps before trying to get round to the other side 

 of our beasts. It was bad going, but we persevered, 

 and presently heard elephants on either side of us, a 

 few hundred yards distant. From every side came 

 rumblings and little liquid gurglings, but the bamboos 

 were so thick that one could not see ten yards. 

 It was evident, from the noise, that we were in the 

 middle of a large number of elephants, and when 

 I thought that an accidental puff of wind, or some evil 

 chance might send them crashing in a mad stampede 

 over our defenceless bodies, I confess to feeling far 

 from comfortable. I fancy that most men, despite 

 any protestations made from an armchair in the gun- 

 room, would find themselves looking into the future 

 with some apprehension on the first occasion on which 

 they came to close quarters with a herd of wild 

 elephants in thick jungle. One begins to speculate 

 on the amount of truth there may be in the assertion 

 that the elephant is of a retiring disposition, and to 

 wonder what may be the crushing power of his foot ! 



