234 AFRICA SPEAKS 



While scrambling down the chff, one of the boys 

 spotted a cloud of dust across the valley. The 

 glasses disclosed this to be stirred up by a large herd 

 of elephants who were ambling in the direction of 

 Legumukum. A day or so later we unexpectedly 

 encountered this herd, following them all afternoon in 

 the hope of securing a few scenes. But although we 

 drove many miles, we succeeded in catching up 

 with them only as they entered some thick bush 

 where it was impossible for us to follow. During our 

 wild ride we got into many tight places, once finding 

 ourselves almost completely surrounded by the herd. 

 When a cow elephant screamed, the bushes began to 

 crash and the ground to tremble. I don't mind con- 

 fessing that I felt a little bit uneasy, for there were 

 over one hundred animals in the herd, bulls, cows, and 

 calves, and if a major section of this group had charged 

 our way, the truck might have suffered more than a 

 broken spring. 



Upon our return to camp we found Joe Pedley 

 packing his equipment and learned that all the locust 

 officers had been recalled to Nairobi. There was much 

 excitement at Legumukum, for to the primitive 

 N jemps this was an event of extreme importance. 

 They came in from all the near-by villages to watch 

 the white man prepare for safari, each one bringing 

 along his own private swarm of flies, so that soon the 

 place was buzzing with activity. Our savage neigh- 

 bors spent the balance of the evening with us, then 

 danced and chanted far into the night. We had long 

 looked upon them as real friends, for they had helped 

 us in many ways, and next morning when Pedley left 

 there was sincere regret on both sides at the parting. 



