50 After Big Game in Central Africa 



immediately, at a distance of six yards, a charge of 

 buckshot. He fell like a lump of lead outside the 

 camp, exactly against the fence. We heard him 

 groan once or twice ; then there was not a sound. 

 The next day we were unable to find either the 

 leopard or his tracks : only a pool of blood, and there 

 is no doubt to my mind that the lions carried him off 

 and devoured him. We followed their tracks for a 

 time to clear our minds on the point, but following 

 lions' tracks in the tall grass at that time of the year 

 is like following the path of a bird through the air. 



One more day passes without result ; the rain has 

 not ceased falling, and we are very wretched in 

 camp. We can only yawn or read old copies of 

 newspapers ; and the men, huddled around their fires, 

 smoke or converse in low voices. We have made our 

 customary survey and have seen nothing. At nine 

 o'clock at night a well-known noise strikes upon our 

 ears the trumpeting of an elephant, which is repeated 

 once more shortly afterwards, the rest of the night 

 being quiet, save, of course, for comings and goings 

 of our nocturnal visitors lions, hyenas, etc. 



Before daybreak the loads for elephant-hunting 

 are prepared. These consist of two light packages 

 containing sorgho flour and biltong for three days, a 

 stew-pot, salt, and night loin-cloths for eight men, a 

 saucepan for myself, tea, sugar, a tin of milk, and 

 some rice, a hammock, a blanket, and a hand-camera. 

 With this little supplementary baggage we are ready 

 to follow the elephants very far ; we can pass two or- 

 three nights out of doors. 



