ELEPHANTS' SPOOR 



The bare skin of the face and throat is a brilliant 

 red, abruptly changing to yellow on the neck. This 

 colouring in life is very striking and beautiful, but 

 in the dry skin it fades into a uniform dull brown, 

 and gives no idea of the gradation of the rich crimson 

 of the upper portion into the clear lemon-yellow of 

 the lower parts of the neck. Neither of these birds 

 affords really good sport, as they trust for escape 

 rather to their legs than to their wings. When 

 flushed they rise with a tremendous whirr, flying 

 away in a straight course, and their large size and 

 steady flight make them an easy mark. The harsh 

 chattering cry of the francolin is most characteristic 

 and cannot be mistaken, and it soon becomes one of 

 the most familiar sounds to the traveller in Jubaland. 



In the afternoon, while investigating the country 

 in the vicinity of my camp, I killed several more 

 guinea-fowl, of which I lost three, owing to the 

 thickness of the bush, which prevented our finding 

 them. I also noticed some elephants' spoor, but 

 none of it was fresh, and they appeared to have 

 left the district, trekking westwards. I now proposed 

 to march due west, in which direction lay the Guran- 

 lagga, according to existing maps, but my guide 

 insisted on going north-west, as he said that the 

 bush was so dense that we should be unable to make 

 our way through it in a direct line with camels. 



The following day we left camp at 3 a.m., and 

 proceeded by moonlight through a country similar to 

 that which we had traversed the day before. As 

 dawn broke, it revealed a scene of luxuriant vegetation 

 such as is always associated with tropical Africa. 

 Huge trees festooned with creepers and brightly 

 coloured flowers, brilliantly feathered birds flitting 



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