266 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



of ' horses strayed ' has again been announced, and this 

 time all six have walked off, but their tracks have 

 been found in the direction of El Effaara, and early 

 to-morrow a party of Arabs will be sent after them. 

 We have come here with no small expectation of find- 

 ing elephants, as large herds are reported to be in the 

 \voods. Unfortunately, the moon is in the wrong 

 quarter for night-shooting. 



April i. The horses being absent, Vivian paid the 

 first visit to the supposed elephant-haunts on a camel, 

 accompanied by an Arab similarly mounted, with the 

 intention of tying up the camels upon arriving there and 

 walking through the woods. If the camel had been 

 told that it was the first of April he could not have 

 better succeeded in adapting himself to English 

 customs, for directly he was required to lie down he 

 made such a tremendous row that no elephant would 

 have remained within miles of him, and he also 

 succeeded in driving away two black ostriches at which 

 Vivian thinks he might otherwise have had a shot. 

 We have not often seen ostriches in our rambles, and 

 then only on the high table-land at half a mile distance 

 from us. 



April 2. At Essafi's special request, I stayed out all 

 night near the river to watch for the arrival of elephants 

 at a favourite drinking-place, but none came, and we had 

 only the questionable satisfaction of finding this morn- 



