WARM SPOOR 131 



swamps, and tore through the dripping, matted jungle 

 in the dull gray morning light. By the time it was 

 light enough to shoot, we were close to the ground on 

 which we expected to find signs of elephants, so I had 

 to content myself with covering many of these smaller 

 fry with a gun enveloped in soaking holsters, as they 

 stood staring at me in a way the beasts take good care 

 never to do when one is looking for them. About 

 7.30, as we were striding along an old elephant road, 

 the Panea, who was leading, suddenly turned at right 

 angles to the way we were going, and without saying a 

 word set off with long strides. In a second I found I 

 was on the warm spoor of elephants. Charley, old man, 

 it's a grand thing to find oneself going well in the first 

 flight across dear old Northamptonshire ; it is perfect 

 bliss. But if there is one thing ' more perfecter,' it is 

 to find oneself silently creeping in the mighty tracks of a 

 herd of thirteen elephants. Oh, Charles, my dear old 

 pippin, it makes one feel too big to live ! If I go into 

 one's feeling under such circumstances I shall get so 

 excited I won't be able to finish this epistle, so imagine 

 them if you can, for I won't attempt to express them. 

 The rain had been coming down in bucketfuls, and had 

 been all the morning, so getting under some shelter I 

 examined, primed, and put fresh caps on all my guns. 

 After this was completed, we set off in good earnest on 

 the track. At first it led us through thick jungle in a 

 straight line, too straight to please me. It was evident 

 they were travelling, and it might take us hours to 

 catch them ; and bivouacking out under a clump of 

 bamboos in jungles below the level of the sea, in soak- 

 ing clothes and steady rain all night, is a kind of 

 amusement not to be indulged in too freely. Once out 

 of this thick fid of jungle, appearances were more pleas- 

 ing, the track zigzagged here and there. This was the 



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