292 THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 



beast was wandering along aimlessly. We followed 

 two hours without being able to catch up. Then ab- 

 ruptly we all saw him, about sixty yards away, down 

 through a chance thinning in the smaller trees. At 

 the very instant, without a sound, he seemed to evapo- 

 rate into thin air. Never would I have believed so 

 enormous a creature could have moved so quickly and 

 so silently through that dense cover. If it had not 

 been for his indubitable spoor, I should almost have 

 been willing to believe him a creature of the imagination. 

 But for the brief instant I had seen him plainly. My 

 most vivid impression was of his length, for I had not 

 realized how "long coupled" the African elephant is as 

 compared to the Indian elephant we see in circuses. 

 The next most vivid impression was of his bulk and the 

 golden yellow effect of his tusks against the dimness of 

 the forest. 



We had made no noise, but an eddy had swept our 

 wind around to him. 



We sent back one of the Wanderobo to bring up the 

 men; and again took the trail. At five o'clock, as he 

 was still travelling, we reluctantly came to a halt. 

 Another cold camp in the rain — a cheerless, wet, smoky 

 camp; and we took our water supply from the natural 

 reservoir of one of the elephant's footprints! 



November 4. — This morning we followed on until 

 eleven o 'clock in generally southeast direction, wander- 

 ing in the heavy forests, in the lower fringe of bamboo, 



