io8 After Big Game in Central Africa 



the current. In a few minutes, the bed sloping up- 

 wards, they reascend and reappear one after the other, 

 black and streaming, on the bank. 1 count seven 

 of them, including two old males and a young 

 elephant. The last-named springs into the river 

 when nearly all the others have landed, and its 

 mother supports it with her trunk while it swims 

 ahead of her. 



We remain where we are, waiting to see which 

 direction the elephants will take. If they remount 

 the stream we have lost them, because they will 

 scent the camp in ten minutes ; if they descend, our 

 resource is to follow them until we have found a 

 ferry. But, far from pressing themselves, they seem 

 to take a pleasure in tarrying in the wet reeds at this 

 early hour. 



Sighting a somewhat narrow part of the river 

 down stream where the large stones which en- 

 cumber the bed are a little closer together, we have 

 rather violent exercise in jumping from one to 

 the other. Taking a partial bath, we ourselves 

 cross the river and rejoin at full speed the track 

 of our elephants. We are in such a hurry that we 

 find ourselves (in the reeds) in the very midst of 

 the animals, without, however, seeing them. These 

 reeds, about three yards high, have pointed leaves 

 which tear the skin, and we have great difficulty in 

 making our way through ; their bed is made of 

 lianas and dry entangled reeds, hanging from which 

 are the delicious tchitedze (mucuna pruriens) or 

 nettle-beans, which you cannot brush against without 



