216 ON THE SPOOR OF ELEPHANTS. 



Shire, weary and choked with thirst ; and having 

 drunk copiously of its water fresh from the Nyassa, 

 pitched my camp in an uninhabited tract. Having 

 cooked and dined sumptuously, I wrapped myself up 

 in my blanket suit and lay down to rest. There was 

 a heavy dew all night, and when I awoke in the 

 morning large drops of water lay thick all over my 

 blankets, and the mosquito curtains were saturated, 

 but I was dry inside. A cup or two of hot coifee, 

 some seem a (a kind of porridge prepared from native 

 flour), and a bit of cold gazelle, constituted an early 

 breakfast, and I was off again. The country here is 

 all much alike, being generally covered with forest, 

 and the numerous footprints of different animals shew 

 an abundance of game ; but as I was tied to time, I 

 was obliged to be content with what sport came di- 

 rectly in my way. 



I had not gone very far this morning, when I 

 found fresh elephant spoor, and as it was early in the 

 day, and I knew the Rivi Rivi was not far ahead, I 

 determined to try my luck and follow the herd up. 

 Shortly after I started on the tracks I saw two fine 

 bull buffaloes walking quietly along within a short 

 distance of me. Mobita begged I would shoot one, 

 but fearing lest the herd of elephants might be feed- 

 ing not very far off, and that I might disturb them by 

 doing so, I declined, and waited till the bulls had 

 walked at their leisure out of sight. I then followed 

 the spoor of the elephants for more than an hour 

 straight from the river, and it was only when I found 

 that they had turned considerably to the right, and 

 that I was therefore going back again while following 



