ELEPHANT HUNTING 253 



Cuninghame had predicted, the old Masai Dorobo, from 

 pure delight, proceeded to have hysterics on the body of 

 the dead elephant. The scene was repeated when Heller 

 and the porters appeared half an hour later. Then, chat- 

 tering like monkeys, and as happy as possible, all, porters, 

 gun-bearers, and 'Ndorobo alike, began the work of skin- 

 ning and cutting up the quarry, under the leadership and 

 supervision of Heller and Cuninghame, and soon they were 

 all splashed with blood from head to foot. One of the 

 trackers took off his blanket and squatted stark naked in- 

 side the carcass the better to use his knife. Each laborer 

 rewarded himself by cutting off strips of meat for his private 

 store, and hung them in red festoons from the branches 

 round about. There was no let up in the work until it was 

 stopped by darkness. 



Our tents were pitched in a small open glade a hun- 

 dred yards from the dead elephant. The night was clear, 

 the stars shone brightly, and in the west the young moon 

 hung just above the line of tall tree tops. Fires were speed- 

 ily kindled and the men sat around them, feasting and sing- 

 ing in a strange minor tone until late in the night. The 

 flickering light left them at one moment in black obscurity, 

 and the next brought into bold relief their sinewy crouching 

 figures, their dark faces, gleaming eyes, and flashing teeth. 

 When they did sleep, two of the 'Ndorobo slept so close 

 to the fire as to burn themselves; an accident to which they 

 are prone, judging from the many scars of old burns on 

 their legs. I toasted slices of elephant's heart on a pronged 

 stick before the fire, and found it delicious; for I was hun- 

 gry, and the night was cold. We talked of our success and 

 exulted over it, and made our plans for the morrow; and 



