CHAPTER XXIV 



We strike oamp — Arrive in elephant country — An attempted mutiny in 

 camj) — One black sheep in the flock — Armed, literally to the teeth — 

 Alarming situation — Drastic measures nec^sary — I threaten to shoot 

 the ring- leader — A critical moment — Cocking my rifle turns the scale 

 — Order restored — Jungles teeming with game — Herd of elephants 

 reported — Preparation for the attack — In the midst of the herd — 

 Shoot one of them — Habe-Awal and Gadabarsi horsemen surround 

 the herd — .Tungle alive with elephants — I kill five bulls and one cow 

 — Fine haul of tusks — Continue hunt next morning — At unpleasantly 

 close quarters — Under the elephant's trunk — Saved by standing still 

 — ^The elephant moves off — A parting shot in the ribs — Follow up and 

 finish her — Shoot another bull — Bivouac for the night — Lion heard 

 calling — New3 of a large bull — Found and wounded — A determined 

 charge — Retires into a jangle — At bay — I hit him again — Another 

 chargo— I am chased uid nearly caught — I give him the slip — Re* 

 turn to oamp— Take up tracks next day — Found dead — Move oamp — 

 Hix elcpiiants bagged one day — Charged by a cow elephant — A Somali 

 attracts her attention — She chases him — He is caught and killed 

 instantly — Pounded beyond reo<^pution — I kill the elephant — We 

 try but fail to capture the calf. 



We now struck camp, and marching throujjli an unexplored 

 portion of the Gadabarsi country towards tlie Harawa 

 Valley, camped at Leakat, whence I sent mounted nun in 

 all directions in search of khubbar of elcpliants. But 

 before going on to relate my adventures, I nuist tell of an 

 incident which had come perilously near to ending my 

 expedition. 



I had been noticing for ^omc time that Khaliffa — one 

 of my principal hunters — thoroughly awure of his own 

 importance as an unequalled tracker — seemed to be dis- 

 satisfied, and though he had not done any tiling sufhcicntly 

 pronounced to call for comment on my part, his miinner 

 was sulky and not a good or cheering example to the rest of 

 the men. 



Now, on an ex|)edition of tins kind, it gOCS inthout 



IBS 



