1 68 SFOR T IN ABYSSINIA. 



to buy one of the donkeys, but the man wanted a 

 great deal too much for it. The caravan only stayed 

 close to our camp during the heat of the day, and in 

 the afternoon they moved on. They were bringing 

 back grain and salt, having taken out cotton to the 

 different towns in the province of Tigre. 



Feb. 17. — I am better to-day, and I worked at the 

 raft to put the finishing touches to it. In the afternoon 

 I went out fishing, and I had put on a hook with a piece 

 of raw meat as bait, having made a rod of two bamboo 

 sticks spliced together. I caught nothing, nor did I 

 even get a bite. I was sitting in camp towards the 

 evening when one of the coolies rushed in to say that 

 he had seen some elephants on the other side of the 

 river, a little way down, looking very much as if they 

 were going to cross the river. Barrakee was in camp. 

 I took my guns, and he, with two of his men and my 

 gun-bearers, went out to look for the elephants. We 

 crept along the bank of the river, and on the other 

 side Barrakee pointed out two fine bull elephants ; 

 they were standing amongst the dense jungle which 

 bordered the river, evidently undecided whether to 

 cross or not. H. and Fisk were out shooting par- 

 tridges for our dinner, and just as we saw the elephants 

 we heard two shots. This was very unlucky, but H. 

 had no idea that there were elephants near. It must 

 have startled them, as very shortly afterwards we saw 



