In Wildest Africa ^ 



not as blissful as they should have been ! After a time, 

 however, our need of sleep prevailed, sheer physical 

 fatigue overcame all our anxieties, and my Wandorobo 

 slumbered in peace. They had contrived a '' charm," 

 and had set up a row of chewed twigs all round to keep 

 off misfortune. Unfortunately it is not so easy for a 

 European to believe in the efficacy of these precautions ! 

 It was interesting to observe that the Wandorobo 

 evinced much greater fear of the poisoned arrows of the 

 Wakamba than of wild animals. In view of my subse- 

 quent experience, I myself in such a situation would view 

 the possibility of being attacked by elephants with much 

 greater alarm. 



As it happened, however, this night passed like 

 many another — if not without danger, at least without 

 mishap. 



Day dawned. No bird-voices greeted it, for, strange 

 to relate, we found nothing but big game in this wooded 

 wilderness, save for guinea-fowl {Numida reichenovoi and 

 Acrylliuin vulturinum, Hardw.) and francolins. The 

 small birds seem to have known that the water woukl 

 soon be exhausted, and that until the advent of the 

 next rainy season this was no place for them. 



In the grey of early morning we made our way out 

 again into the velt. We had to visit the neighbouring 

 watering-places and then to follow up some fresh set of 

 elephant-tracks. It turned out that some ten big bull- 

 elephants had visited one of the pools, and had left what 

 remained of the water a thick yellowish mud. They 

 had rubbed and scoured themselves afterwards against a 



406 



