i6 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



guide said the elephants were in the habit of drinking, and in 

 the neighbourhood of which he felt confident they then were. 

 We kept silence on the march on this day. Except for an 

 odd Waller's gazelle or two here and there, and occasionally 

 a little giraffe spoor, the country now seemed gameless. We 

 at length entered the dry bed of the watercourse, and after 

 following it up for some distance came, to Papa's intense 

 excitement, to where elephants (a 'i&w only) had dug in the 

 sand for water the night before. We camped not far off to 

 leeward and kept perfectly quiet, after sunset putting our fires 

 out and neither speaking nor stirring. It was hardly dark 

 when we heard the elephants farther up stream, fortunately to 

 windward. They were evidently drinking. 



I had, of course, great hopes of success now ; and next 

 morning was ready, as soon as it was light enough, to follow 

 the spoor. In this, however, poor old Papa failed, much to my 

 astonishment. I had been told by Von Hohnel that Ndorobos 

 were not good at spooring ; but could hardly believe but that he 

 must have been mistaken. However, mine could not keep it in 

 hard dry ground ; and after casting about all morning he was 

 at length forced to confess that he was not able to spoor with 

 certainty except after rain. The poor old fellow was so down- 

 hearted, being much more disappointed than I myself, that I 

 could not be put out with him, although he had led me all 

 this dance and wasted so much of my time for nothing. At 

 that time neither I nor my gun-bearers had had much ex- 

 perience at spooring elephants, the ground was very hard with 

 no long grass, and, our guide having failed us, I thought it 

 was useless now thinking more of elephants this time ; so 

 next morning we marched back in the direction we had come 

 from. How I wished for a couple of good South African 

 natives to spoor for me ! I have never had bushmen with 

 me, but some of the Tongas and Shanganes living in the 

 game districts of South- Eastern Africa are good enough for 

 me. Had I been able to follow these elephants in such easy 



