XXIV A GREAT DAY WITH TORA 263 



and then came straight towards me. I dropped 

 two dead, and wounded the other two. Starting after 

 the one which seemed hardest hit, I missed a shot, but 

 brought it down with a second, and I returned to 

 where the first two lay and after a short rest started 

 on the tracks of the other wounded one. This led us 

 into the long grass, where we had to be careful not 

 to fall into the deep holes made by elephants, which 

 were hidden in the grass. After going some way I 

 saw the beast's head and fired, knocking it over ; AH 

 ran to it, and then came back to me for a knife ; while 

 he was doing so, the beast got up and again stumbled 

 ofi^, giving us a long chase, as for some time we lost 

 its tracks on hard ground. Eventually we found it 

 lying down in a big bamboo-brake, where it was finished 

 with another shot. I had thus killed five tora in one day, 

 and there was enough meat for every one to feast on. 

 On reaching camp at four o'clock I heard that fresh 

 buffalo tracks had been found some way to the west of 

 camp. 



While chatting with my men that evening, I heard 

 the story of my guide Basha Kassa. It seems that he 

 had at one time been Shum of a district, but had 

 a row with his chief about some taxes, for which they 

 said he had not properly accounted. In a fit of anger 

 he left his post and joined the robber-band, who gladly 

 welcomed such a promising recruit, and soon gave him 

 command of a troop, which he led on several very 

 successful looting expeditions into the country he had 

 formerly governed. He was, however, finally captured, 

 loaded with chains, and taken to Kino: Tecla Havmanot, 



