154 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



nearer than a couple of hundred yards from the nearest 

 bull. 



One of our halting-places near the river was rendered 

 memorable by the number of crocodiles we saw. I 

 had halted close to the bank and straightway went 

 to fill my water-bottle. There was a spit of sand 

 ending in what looked like a rocky ledge. I walked 

 towards this, and suddenly it heaved up, and a mass 

 of crocodiles, mostly from 3 to 6 feet long, threw itself 

 into the river. 



We halted that night within sight of J. Telgona at 

 the side of a marshy khor. Shortly after our arrival 

 I heard a faint crackling of branches and saw one 

 of the men rush forward and kick some fowl which 

 I was having carried as food. I was naturally furious 

 at what I took to be wanton cruelty, till, all incredulous, 

 I was informed that an inquisitive elephant was moving 

 on our camp. 



The Shilluk story, to explain the fear of elephants 

 for fowl, is worth telling. In the beginning a cock 

 and an elephant were bosom friends. One day a 

 thorn got into the latter's foot, and he asked the cock 

 to extract it with his bill. He started to do so, but 

 was struck by the delicacy of the fat, which he could 

 not help sucking in, and forgot the dues of friendship. 

 After making a good meal, he suggested to the elephant 

 that the only way to get the thorn out was by burning. 

 So he built a fire and induced the elephant to hold 

 his foot over it. The elephant shut his eyes and 

 yelled for pain. Presently he looked round for his 

 friend and saw him guzzling on the fat now running 



