With Flashlight and Rifle -* 



that I would probably have to conduct my operations out 

 in the open. We reckoned the herd as numbering about 

 twenty in all, of which a number were very large females. 

 The bulls were distinguishable by the long and compara- 

 tively narrow shape of their hind-feet. 



Before us, in any case, was a march of several hours. 

 It was worth while to make every effort to catch up the 

 elephants before sunset, probably resting under some 

 cluster of trees upon the velt. We should then have 

 to spend the night out on the desert without any 

 fresh supply of water, of course returning next day to 

 camp. 



After following the tracks for about an hour, we found 

 that there must be more than twenty elephants in the 

 herd, for here and there, when they had come to difficult 

 places certain dried-up river-beds, for instance they had 

 made their way out of them one by one, some to the 

 right, others to the left, and this enabled us to reckon 

 up their numbers more precisely. Here and there as 

 we went I found a bundle of chewed bowstring hemp, 

 out of which the sap had been sucked, and a piece of 

 chewed bark torn from a tree by the elephants' tusks. 

 But the herd had evidently made no halt, and had con- 

 tinued on their way without loitering to eat. 



The sun was scorching, and it was necessary to put 

 out all our energy, and to place our trustiest men in the 

 rear in order to keep the long column together at the 

 rate at which we had to go. There was something very 

 fascinating in this almost silent march of ours over the 

 glistening plains hour after hour, our eyes fixed upon 



170 



