Soldiering and Sport in Uganda 



with that hospitaHty begotten of solitude, as well as 

 a warm heart. I took the opportunity of questioning 

 him about elephant, and he assured me there were 

 none in the immediate vicinity, although fairly 

 numerous a few days before. When he ascertained 

 I was bound for Hoima, he asked me if I would mind 

 taking a puppy to a friend of his there. He also 

 gave me one for myself which was only just able to 

 walk. Luncheon over, I went back to my tent accom- 

 panied by a white man from Entebbe, who had come 

 in to interview the Commissioner about an elephant 

 he had wounded. The rule out here is that if you 

 hit an elephant badly, so that it eventually dies away 

 in the bush, and the natives bring in the tusks be- 

 fore seven days are up, you are allowed on producing 

 evidence in proof of it being the one you wounded, 

 to claim the tusks. Otherwise they are labelled 

 "Found ivory," and a third of their value is 

 given to the local chief, the remainder falling to 

 the Government. This fellow assured me he had 

 been on the track of elephant within ten to fifteen 

 miles of Masindi for the past fortnight, and as his 

 leave was nearly expired I asked him to take me 

 out and show me them. This he agreed to do. So 

 while he was drinking a whisky and soda I speedily 

 packed up a few things. I had already promised 

 my porters a day's holiday, owing to having given 

 them a forced march into Masindi. We had scarcely 

 leaped on to our cycles when we heard a great com- 

 motion and shouting from the town. A native 

 rushing up, shouted " Tembo " (Swahili, elephant). 



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