AFTER ELEPHANT AT BARINGO 63 



possible crocodiles. AVitli some dismay, however, we 

 found, on reaching what had appeared to be the opposite 

 bank, that we had merely crossed a shallow by-stream, 

 that the apparent bank was an island, and that the 

 main river still ran, broad and deep, before us. There 

 was nothing for it but to swim, and this we proceeded 

 to do, ao'ain sendino- an advance-Q-uard of blacks as a 

 precautionary measure. Our rifles and ammunition 

 came through all right ; but, in spite of every care, our 

 clothes (carried aloft in one hand) got hopelessly wet. 

 Even on the equator one does not care to dress in 

 soaking garments, and we therefore both marched into 

 Njemps, three miles beyond, arrayed each in a wet 

 shirt, a sun-helmet and a pair of boots. Here we found 

 the local chiefs all assembled to meet H.M.'s representa- 

 tive, but since no one of them wore anything at all, our 

 scanty attire created no scandal. Njemps is a strongly- 

 stockaded village, with many rows of grass-built huts 

 inside its rampart of growing thorns and surrounding 

 moat, and we encamped beneath the historic sycamores 

 where, less than twenty years previous, Joseph 

 Thomson, the first explorer of Masailand, had rested 

 after his adventurous journey. 



Here, again, the resonant flute-like song of the bulbul 

 struck me as certainly the most eff"ective bird-melody I ever 

 heard. Specially noticeable was it just before sundown. 



That afternoon, while Archer held " shauri " with 

 the chiefs and collected revenue, I went to look for the 

 elephant under the guidance of the local hunters, and 

 soon found his mighty spoor of the night before. This 

 we followed for miles, in and out, always through 

 comparatively open ground and loose forest, highly 

 favourable for our attack had the elephant been there, 

 but he was not. It became evident that, althouo-h he 

 might come hither every night to feed, he had some 

 other stronghold to which he retired by day. We saw 

 many waterbuck in these forests, though no really good 

 heads, and a superb pair of white-headed fish-eagles 

 {Haliaetus vocifer) kept screaming and circling overhead. 



