Soldiering and Sport in Uganda 



They seemed quite close, and their raucous bellow- 

 ings made them seem nearer than they were. 

 At last the sounds became rapidly more distant, 

 as the elephants made away up the opposite valley 

 at what must have been a break-neck speed. 

 Just then two of the men espied one quite close 

 at the bottom of the hill we were sitting on, and 

 presently made out a second one. We now decided 

 to move down in their direction. Going was difficult 

 in the extreme. A man cut the path ahead with 

 a military "matchete," and we all clambered after. 

 Trailing weeds tripped one at every step, and the 

 steepness of the hill made a very uncertain footing. 

 We had proceeded about fifty yards when we heard 

 a bellowing on our right from higher up the hillside, 

 by which we gathered that there were a good many 

 of them about. We decided to keep on after our 

 original friend, but we went more cautiously. At 

 last we reached the tree where we originally marked 

 him down. He was gone. I had thought I saw 

 him move off The other two then proceeded to 

 the bottom of the gully and left me to watch. 



I was very glad of a rest, as I not only was dead- 

 beat, but the sun had got at me and made me feel 

 very faint. So I sat down where I could get a com- 

 manding view. This waiting is a most trying affair, 

 and I was cursing my luck at having to remain 

 there when a bellow occurred about a hundred yards 

 on my right. I soon changed my position, so as to 

 be ready for either flank, but so dense was the bush 

 that it was difficult to see anything even ten yards 



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