Ill CAMPING AT MOUNT KENIA 57 



turned out that an idiot of a Swahili (one of two or three 

 I had following me), to whom I had given it to hold while I 

 climbed the tree, had put it on himself instead of handing it 

 back to me. I was not complimentary to him, as his stupidity, 

 added to my own forgetful ness, might have cost me my life. 



I began to follow up the spoor of this vicious cow, though 

 there was not much blood on it, and I did not think she was 

 badly wounded, for I felt rather vindictively inclined towards 

 her ; but before we had gone far another little clump of 

 elephants was discovered not far off, towards which I 

 accordingly made. Getting up to them I succeeded in 

 flooring another cow with fine tusks, one of which grew right 

 across the other (this skew tooth proved particularly long and 

 solid, having scarcely any hollow at the base). The rest ran 

 to the edge of the bush and stood on a slight rise among low 

 scrub, just outside the tall forest patch. I followed, and 

 getting a good view of them knocked over a right and left, 

 and loading again was just about to repeat the performance, as 

 the others still stood about apparently quite bewildered, when I 

 was suddenly attacked by swarms of bees, whose tub was in the 

 tree under which I stood. (It is the practice of the natives to 

 stick these bee tubs up in trees here and there about the bush 

 for the accommodation of the wild bees, which speedily take 

 possession of such convenient quarters, by which simple means 

 they secure a regular supply of honey for themselves.) They 

 stung me round my eyes and all over my face, ears, neck, etc., 

 compelling me to flee ignominiously and leave the elephants 

 still standing ! This was a sad stroke of bad luck and 

 probably cost me a brace of elephants. I could hold my own 

 with the elephants alone, but when reinforced by these fiery 

 little allies I was instantly and helplessly put to flight. After 

 retreating a little way, however, I managed to shake off the 

 new enemy, and going round above the elephants returned to 

 the attack, and was in time to get a shot at another ; but they 

 were now on the move, whilst I was somewhat upset by my 



