ARRIVAL OF A VETERAN HUNTER. 185 



we were told that two of the horses, Essafi's being one, 

 disappeared directly after our arrival here, and could not 

 be found, though four Arabs had been in search of them. 

 It was now Essafi's turn to look grave ; but not being 

 one to brood inactively over his sorrows, he instantly 

 picked out two or three special friends, and went off in 

 pursuit. Those told off to seek the dead buffalo begged 

 me to accompany them, and were highly pleased at my 

 mounting one of their camels with only a native saddle 

 on it. After dismounting on our arrival at the wood, it 

 only required a few minutes' search to tell me that I 

 could give them no assistance in finding the buffalo ; and 

 our tracks having frequently recrossed one another, the 

 men gave up the search very soon and returned home. 

 Essafi and his friends were equally unsuccessful ; but no 

 one seems to doubt that the horses will be found to- 

 morrow, when there will be more time to follow their 

 tracks, either at our last camp or somewhere on the 

 Settite. 



Feb. 27. A party of Hamran elephant-hunters paid 

 us a visit to-day, headed by the great hunter Roder 

 Sheriff now quite an old though hale-looking man. So 

 he is not dead after all, as originally stated. They are 

 on their way to Abyssinia, being sent by Sheik Aghill at 

 the special request of an Abyssinian Sheik, who requires 

 their assistance in consequence of the presence of great 

 numbers of elephants in his part of the country. These 



