AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



slowly. Outside the palms grow tall elephant grass 

 and bush. Our marching had generally to be done 

 in the narrow, neutral space between these two 

 growths. It was pleasant enough, with the river 

 snatching at the trailing branches, and the birds and 

 animals rustling away. Beyond the* elephant-grass 

 flats low ridges ran down to the river, varying in 

 width, but carrying always with them the dense 

 thorn. Between them ran recesses, sometimes three 

 or four hundred acres in extent, high with elephant 

 grass or little trees like popples. So much for the 

 immediate prospect on our right as we marched. 

 Across the river to our left were huge riven moun- 

 tains, with great cliffs and canons. As we followed 

 necessarily every twist and turn of the river, some- 

 times these mountains were directly ahead of us, 

 then magically behind, so that we thought we had 

 passed them by. But the next hour threw them 

 again across our trail. The ideal path would, of 

 course, have cut across all the bends and ridges; but 

 the thorn of the ridges, and the elephant grass of 

 the flats forbade it. So we marched ten miles to 

 gain four. 



After days of struggle and deception we passed 

 those mountains. Then we entered a new type of 

 country where the Tsavo ran in canons between 

 hills. The high cliffs often towered far above us; 



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