ELMENTEITA IN SEPTEMBER 



125 



traversing herds of gazelles, many of which were close 

 to him, some still grazing, others even playing, but 

 none taking; the slio-htest visible notice. 



The main object at Elmenteita having thus been 

 achieved in a single day, I might have proceeded at 

 once to my next proposed venture on the Athi River. 

 Unfortunately, however, by a strange mistake, I lost all 

 the advantages of time saved, and put myself to a vast 

 amount of further trouble all unnecessarilv. For, on 



<iuit( 



8TKIPED HYENA. 



coming wp to my two prizes, I bad concluded, quite errone- 

 ously, that these hartebeests were not Neumann's, but 

 Coke's I There was no excuse for this error, since the 

 two species differ essentially; but I had not, till that 

 moment, handled either animal or seen B. cokei at all. 



Acting on this erroneous premise, we next morning 

 shifted camp beyond Lake Elmenteita, a long day's 

 march to the north-west. But here, instead of Bubalis 

 neumanni, we found the western end of the lake 

 swarming with nomad Masai, whose vast flocks and herds 

 had effectually scared away all game. 



During this march I shot six selected specimens of 



