AN INQUISITIVE ELEPHANT 197 



ment. There was a long string of large pools, some 

 many yards long by 20 wide, where we put up some 

 teal. Also the remains of gardens and the "gudwal" 

 (raised water channel) of a shaduf. The broad tracks 

 of elephants made a royal road for us. 



At this place Tibsherani Eff. had an adventure. 

 He came panting in to where I was seated near a pool, 

 with the exclamation, " Sir, I have run quite 400 

 yards ! " Such a feat needed explanation. It appeared 

 that, shortly after my guide and self had passed, a herd 

 of elephant grazing approached our tracks. When 

 it saw Tibsherani's party, one of the cows, with ears 

 outstretched, had trotted out to investigate it. It took 

 quite a time to collect the scattered men and our 

 belongings. 



An inquisitive elephant can be quite nasty. Near 

 Dem Zubeir one of them seized a donkey and flung it 

 into a high tree. The native officer (a bad specimen) 

 in charge of it refused to take the responsibility of 

 shooting it, as he feared that he might have to pay 

 for it, so it starved there. 



A few miles from the above Babai we came on 

 Babai Momei on the Pongo River. Here the remains 

 of fallen-in wells and the scope of the ruins showed 

 that it once was an important place. It was on a long 

 slope on the right bank of the river. 



The Pongo had already reached adolescence, for it 

 was almost as large and much the same as the Busseiri. 

 One night we had to halt without water. While 

 looking for it, one of the men found a fine pair of 

 tusks. To enable the rest of the party to find us — 



