OUR FIRST HUNTING EXPEDITION 



One of the ofificers came to our bungalow in 

 Nairobi and was much interested in looking at our 

 photographs, as it was the same route he had taken, 

 only he had had a most exciting time after an ele- 

 phant. 



He was following one up in thick bush, when sud- 

 denly the world was darkened for him, and on 

 looking up he beheld an elephant towering above 

 him. He promptly fired into its face and blood 

 flowed down its tusks. He managed to turn the 

 beast, but with many shrieks four others came 

 down towards him. He and his orderly fell on 

 their faces, and the elephants literally passed over 

 them ; but losing their enemies' wind they returned. 

 This time one passed, brushing the officer's sleeve 

 with his foot. As soon as the elephants were past 

 he and the orderly sprang up, not daring to risk 

 another charge of the creatures, and ran, with the 

 four after them, up a convenient tree, far, far up it 

 too. And there they stayed till dusk. It was with 

 some difficulty that they managed to get down, and 

 when down, to get up looked almost impossible, 

 but with a furious elephant behind and one's last 

 hour seeming very near, it is wonderful what a 

 man can manage. On reaching camp they found 

 all the porters up trees (I happened to have a photo 

 of the spot), as, hearing the shrieks of the elephants 

 they thought themselves safer above them. Next 



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