CHAPTER XV. 



A HOT TRIP TO THE LUANGWA RIVER. 



AFTER having rested for ten days I again started out to try to find elephants, 

 my object being to look for the animals in the Luangwa Valley, for I thought 

 they would be sure to be found there, now that water was so scarce in 

 other parts of the country. 



As I had formerly spent a year on the river I knew it would be extremely hot at 

 this time of year — November. 



I have referred to the great heat in the Zambesi Valley during the last few 

 months of the dry season, and I may mention that the valley of the Luangwa is quite 

 as bad, in fact, it is the hottest place in Northern Rhodesia. 



Another drawback is that the winds there are always shifting, which is awkward 

 when after elephants. 



Leaving the Kapundi stream on October 30th, I stopped for the night at 

 the house of a friend who had a share in a farm on the Mzadzu stream. I say 

 " had," for the poor fellow has since died from the effects of dysentry contracted while 

 on a trip after elephants. On this trip he shot two very fine bull elephants, one with 

 tusks weighing loilb. and 851b., while the other had tusks weighing over 6olb. each. 



Going on next day I stopped at another farm for the night. The following day I 

 shot a zebra, which gave the carriers some fresh meat, and in this part of the country 

 I saw more eland spoor than I ever saw before. I also saw three herds of the animals, 

 but did not fire, as I had already shot the zebra, and, besides, I could not see a 

 bull with good horns. This night I slept at a waterhole near a village named 

 Bangombe's. On November 2nd I had a very hot tramp, passing through miles 

 of waterless, arid country. It took six hours' hard going to reach Chamba's 

 village, but we carried water in calabashes, so got a drink half way. In this part I 

 saw some old spoor of two good bull elephants, but there was nothing recent. 



While on this trip I did not suffer from a bad foot as I had done before, so 

 the hard going did not bother me at all. 



On the 3rd I reached Msoro resthouses. Msoro is on the main road leading 

 west to the Luangwa, and, farther west still, to Broken Hill, in North-Western 

 Rhodesia. 



M 



