238 



ELEPHANT SHOOTING 



It was early in the month of November that Baker went 

 down to the last cataracts of the White Nile, about six 

 miles to the south of his camp. 



The country was everywhere very rich, and covered 

 with villages, and the people were very friendly, and 

 ready to give the new comers all they wanted in the way 

 of food. 



One day a troop of Baker's soldiers had been sent to 

 some distance to fetch corn, and while their commander 

 was quietly sitting smoking on the deck of the boat the 

 leader of the party came galloping back to say that a 

 herd of elephants was coming up from the west of the 

 river. 



Baker did not pay much attention to this news, as he 

 expected that the moment the herd caught sight of the 

 people, who had from curiosity climbed on the rocks or 

 squatted on the roofs of the huts, they would turn off 

 in some other direction. But the elephants did nothing 

 of the sort. 



On they came, eleven in number, swinging their trunks 

 and napping their ears, not seeing or not heeding the 

 crowd of boats and people. 



When they arrived within about four hundred yards 

 of the river, Baker mounted his horse — Greedy Gray — first 

 telling his servant Suleiman to send on his two elephant 

 rifles, with plenty of powder and ball. He then posted 

 some of his men, dressed in red shirts, on the low hills 



