THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 287 



difficulty, and the 'derobo had to look very carefully at 

 the junction of two elephant trails to see whether the 

 beast had gone on one or the other. Going up or down 

 hill he had made some grand slippery sHdes in the red 

 clay, and we had a high old time getting up at all. It 

 was like climbing an icy roof. At three o'clock we had 

 to turn back. It was that or spend the night in the 

 forest. The rain continued. Our little Wanderobo 

 shivered like dogs, and wrung out their little pieces of 

 cotton cloth. When we got to camp we gave them 

 each a blanket. 



The men had succeeded in coaxing up good fires; and 

 had built an open-front shelter for the savages. We 

 got into dry clothes. At dusk the rain ceased; and 

 almost immediately the demons of the forest lifted up 

 their wild shriekings again. I feel I can hardly ex- 

 aggerate the wild and uncanny effect of these voices. 



November 2. — We now prepared in earnest to follow 

 the trail of the elephant, and to stay by the spoor until 

 we came up with him. We took one light tent, blank- 

 ets, and some cold food. 



Before we started the Wanderobo again made medi- 

 cine; for the pursuit of an elephant is a very solemn 

 thing. Each snipped a link from his ornamental steel 

 chain; one produced an old dried piece of elephant 

 meat; another built a tiny fire. The elephant meat 

 was thrown on the coals, and the links of chain laid atop 

 it. N'jahgi performed the ritual while the rest of us 



