TO THE UASIN GISHU 



403 



We pitched camp a hundred yards from the elephants, 

 and Akeley, working like a demon, and assisted by Tarlton, 

 had the skins off the two biggest cows and the calf by the 

 time night fell; I walked out and shot an oribi for supper. 

 Soon after dark the hyenas began to gather at the carcasses 

 and to quarrel among themselves as they gorged. Toward 



The hyena, which was swollen with elephant meat, had gotten inside the huge body 

 From a photograph by Carl .1 keley 



morning a lion came near and uttered a kind of booming, 

 long-drawn moan, an ominous and menacing sound. The 

 hyenas answered with an extraordinary chorus of yelling, 

 howling, laughing, and chuckling, as weird a volume of 

 noise as any to which I ever listened. At dawn we stole 

 down to the carcasses in the faint hope of a shot at the lion. 

 However, he was not there; but as we came toward one 

 carcass a hyena raised its head seemingly from beside the 

 elephant's belly, and I brained it with the little Spring- 

 field. On walking up it appeared that I need not have 

 shot at all. The hyena, which was swollen with elephant 

 meat, had gotten inside the huge body, and had then bit- 



