152 ON SAFARI 



to cut tlieir spoor on route, or, alternatively, to find the 

 herd at Solai itself. 



After rounding the crater of Meningai, our course 

 lay up that broad upland valley we had already 

 traversed in 1904 (p. 48), and leaving the safari to 

 pursue the direct path, we deflected with our gun-bearers 

 into the wooded foothills of the northern slopes. There- 

 in, during that morning, we encountered evidence of 

 elephants on a scale the like of which we have not seen 

 before or since. For miles this forest was absolutely 

 devastated — wrecked : huge trees overthrown, one upon 

 another, their limbs rent asunder ; cedars and cypress, 

 mimosas and acacias torn to shreds, the tall grass 

 trampled flat ; while, amidst the ruin, chewed branches 

 and disgorged masses of bark and fibre everywhere 

 littered the ground. We could plainly distinguish places 

 where several elephants had worked collectively to over- 

 throw some extra strong tree. This destruction had no 

 relation to the herd of elejDhants we were now in search 

 of ; our men reckoned it dated a week previously, and 

 our own judgment confirmed that view ; yet we enjoyed 

 the excitement of pushing forward through the wreck, 

 picturing to ourselves a vast pachyderm at every forest- 

 opening ! We also struck quite fresh spoor of bufl"alo, 

 though we saw nothing except waterbuck. In the belt 

 of brushwood borderino; the veld below East-African 

 Bohor reedbuck were now numerous, though none were 



seen here in 1904, and W shot a couple. We also 



killed to-day a puff"-adder. 



This country, eighteen months previously, had been 

 full of Masai with their cattle, sheep and donkeys. Now 

 these savages had been "removed" into the Laikipia 

 Eeserve ; their kraals were burnt and deserted, while 

 elephant, buffalo and other game had reappeared. 



At midday we halted on the Alabanyata River, 

 intending to push on at 4 p.m. ; but to our unspeakable 

 vexation, the usual thunderstorm burst, torrential rains 

 obliged us to encamp, and forbade all hope of further 

 advance that night. A second shock followed. As 



