CHAPTER III 



CAMPING AT MOUNT KENIA 



A good rhino horn — A fresh campaign — Advantage of head shot — • Exciting 

 encounter — Attacked by bees — A red-letter day — Eleven elephants killed — The 

 Kenia jungle — Wealth of butterflies — A crater lake — Hippos — Return to Mthara 

 — Start for the Gwaso Nyiro River — Signs of elephants — A hunter's disappoint- 

 ment — Sufferings from thirst — Encounter with lions — Rhinos — Filial affection — 

 Despatch of ivory — Return to Laiju — A hazardous undertaking — Hostile natives. 



Accordingly I was off as soon as it was light ; but as the 

 guide had not met us by the time we reached the first swamp, 

 just inside the forest already described, I sat down to wait 

 while one of my men went off to look him up in his shamba, 

 which was not far off As their cultivation was so near the 

 elephants' haunt and the latter were so fond of making havoc 

 of the crops by night, the owners were in the habit of sleeping 

 there in huts built on very high stakes or in the branches of 

 a big tree, whence they kept a look-out and tried by shouting 

 to frighten away the depredators. We had to wait some time 

 and as there was a cold wind blowing it was rather miserable 

 so early ; but I amused myself by watching through my 

 glasses the quaint behaviour of some baboons sitting in a row 

 that were trying to warm themselves in the sun on the other 

 side of the swamp, where its first rays had just reached. While 

 so engaged one of my men drew my attention to a rhino cow 

 with a half-grown calf on the hillside just above, where it was 

 open with only scattered shrubs. As we could see she had a 

 very fine horn I determined to occupy myself during the delay 



