Ill CAMPING AT MOUNT KENIA 69 



recently dropped dung. We followed the now quite fresh 

 spoor eagerly though cautiously ; and after puzzling it out with 

 the greatest care and no little trouble, owing to the abominably 

 bad going, for some distance farther, we at length heard that 

 solemn rumbling of the great animal's stomach which is more 

 moving to the hunter's soul than the grandest organ peal. 

 Leaving my men now, I picked my steps, with fearful anxiety, 

 through the jagged, loose lumps of lava rock towards the spot 

 whence the sound came, and caught sight of one of the great 

 beasts, a little ahead, moving slowly to the right. 



It was a still morning, the sun intensely hot, and the air 

 stirred slightly, sometimes one way and sometimes another. As 

 I approached nearer, with every effort to avoid being heard or 

 seen, I noticed this elephant to have but small tusks, so refrained 

 from shooting in hopes of getting a chance at a better ; but 

 immediately it showed signs of alarm (having probably got a 

 whiff of my wind) and began to make off. Looking ahead of it 

 I saw two others standing by a large thorn-tree : one a fine, large 

 female with nice teeth, the other smaller. I saw no time was 

 to be lost, so hurried after the first, got near before the others had 

 realised what was the matter, knocked over the big one, and then 

 let the first have a shot in the back as she retreated, partly 

 maiming her, with my second barrel. Reloading instantly, I, 

 as she shuffled off, got a slanting shot at her head and dropped 

 her dead. Noticing, as I ran past, the first still kicking on the 

 ground, I thought it a wise precaution to give her another 

 bullet right in the centre of the top of her head. Seeing the 

 blood run from the hole just in the spot I intended, I left her for 

 secure to follow the remaining cow. She turned and held 

 up her head to discover the cause of alarm, standing diagonally 

 with her head towards me. I think I had better perhaps have 

 given her a bociy shot, as the ground was fairly open ; but 

 thinking to reach her brain through the eye I aimed for that. 

 With a shake of her head, however, she made off again. When 

 my gunbearers came up we found a little blood on the spoor of 



