TRACKING A WOUNDED ELEPHANT. 83 



blood proved that he had been severely wounded, and we 

 became full of hope that in one of the ravines we should 

 come suddenly upon him. Still on and on we went, 

 Essafi now and again almost losing his track amongst 

 the many others of earlier date, and then proving his 

 correct eye by finding the gradually diminishing patches 

 of blood, until these patches passed into drops, the faults 

 became more frequent, and at last, stopping short, he 

 shook his head, and with a woe-begone face had once 

 again to say ' mafeesh ' the fatal word that told me the 

 hunt was over, and that I had lost my first and pos- 

 sibly last chance of bagging an elephant, for the career 

 of my eight-bore is now literally hanging on. a thread. 

 I omitted to mention that, when w r e were at Kassala, a 

 Oreek mechanic joined the broken ends of the stock so 

 cleverly, that it was made as strong as, if not stronger, 

 than it was originally ; but a cloud still hung over it, for, 

 a day or two after leaving Kassala, Gumming took it 

 to try its killing-powers on guinea-fowl with a charge of 

 shot, and his horse shying as he mounted, his foot 

 slipped, and away went the gun. The fall cracked the 

 stock right through the old place, but one of our soldiers 

 managed to bind it together so firmly with twine, that 

 it has been given another lease of life. Nothing has 

 been seen of Cumming's hippo or crocodile, and no one 

 has bagged any game to-day. Cold as we felt last night, 

 we were greatly surprised to find the minimum thermo- 



G 2 



