ARTHUR NEUMANN 147 



now had my headquarters here for some time, 

 and I shall continue to for several months more. 

 My Beluchi friends, about whom T must have told 

 you, played me false, and I have never heard 

 anything of or from them, so I am now left to my 

 own resources. I am not equipped for so long a 

 journey into the wilds on my own, as it is, to the 

 country I hoped to reach — not yet, that is — so 

 for the present I am contenting myself with minor 

 expeditions, with this as my base. I have not 

 been far yet, though I have got a few elephants 

 (of which more anon) already ; but I am now about 

 to start on a somewhat longer cruise across the 

 Gwaso Nyiro, where I hope to come upon them in 

 some direction or other and get more and bigger. 

 I tell you what it is, Millais; I take but damned 

 little interest nowadays in shooting any other 

 beast but the elephant; but him I worship — I 

 have become a true Ndorobo in that. Nothing 

 else thrills me; but the spell of the elephant is as 

 potent as ever. There is, between here and the 

 Gwaso Nyiro River, a lot of lava country. The 

 going is most cruel, especially when the grass covers 

 the stones, and it cuts one's boots to pieces in no 

 time. There is one part where the ground is 

 nothing but a mass of black, rough, broken lava 

 debris. It forms low ridges and hillocks, and is 

 overgrown with scrubby bush, but not very thick. 

 There is little or no grass generally in this part. 

 Here a herd of elephants often harbours. They 

 are safe from the Ndorobos, because they dare 

 not tackle them here, as it is impossible to run 

 away among the stones. The herd is a poor one 

 for ivory, and I toiled after it many a day, only 



