iv KOM-KOM 45 



of a feeding elephant, and, as the natives explained, 

 next day, he had probably dreamt that we were 

 in search of him and had wisely decided not to 

 make our acquaintance. 



Next morning, at break of day, we started out 

 in quest of Kom-Kom and towards eight o'clock 

 had the good fortune to find his tracks of the 

 previous night. A thrill of excitement ran through 

 our party at the discovery, and it was with an 

 additional stock of eagerness and energy that 

 we began to follow his spoor. By noon, we 

 had considerably lessened the distance which 

 separated us from our quarry ; his droppings were 

 comparatively fresh and the condition of the leaves 

 of a nquangwa tree that he had smashed to browse 

 upon clearly indicated that he had only preceded 

 us by a very brief space of time. Consequently, 

 we continued our pursuit with redoubled caution, 

 and were making our way in almost breathless 

 silence when the sudden, sharp snap of a breaking 

 tree warned us that he could not be more than 

 fifty yards ahead. Yet the bush formed so dense 

 a curtain of foliage about us that it was impossible 

 to catch the slightest glimpse of him, and knowing 

 the risks incurred under such conditions I bade 

 my tracker, Simba, who had been carefully spooring 

 in front of me, fall behind. (This order I always 

 give when in close proximity to our quarry.) 



