WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD 



had disappeared, and though I spent four hours 

 searching for him, I never saw him again. I was 

 particularly sorry over losing him, for though I 

 have seen the chameleons in Africa, this one was 

 far ahead of any others, both as regards size and 

 colouring. 



At daybreak I went back to the water-hole, hoping 

 for great things ; but though animals had been there, 

 and had broken the thread, thereby starting the 

 machine, no photographs had been taken. My battery 

 had run down ! 



Knowing that it was necessary to push on if I 

 were to accomplish my mission, I started on another 

 twenty-mile trek right into the heart of the jungle. 

 According to my guides, I should now come to close 

 quarters with bison, tiger, and elephant. We made 

 a base camp, and working from that, I spent the next 

 eight days on the back of an elephant, trying to find 

 the bison. At the end of that time I came to the 

 conclusion that failure was to be my lot. We knew that 

 the bison were there, that we were constantly quite close 

 to them ; yet somehow they always got our wind in 

 time to evade us. The trackers did their best, though 

 naturally, having the fear of the ferocious brutes 

 on them, they always kept one eye on such trees as 

 offered possibiHties of safety in the event of a charge. 

 Personally I did not blame them, and I should have 

 done the same myself had I been on the ground, 



262 



