92 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



Altogether, it took us a day and the greater part of the 

 night to traverse this stage. The porters got a good deal dis- 

 tressed, and we had at last to leave the loads and get on to the 

 water, which we reached just before dawn. It is not the first 

 time that I have welcomed the croaking of frogs in Central 

 Africa as the most delightful music, on approaching at length 

 the longed-for " stream in the desert." After a long, weary march 

 through waterless wilderness, how affectionately one regards the 

 " reeds and rushes " about the pool or spring in the parched 

 and thirsty land ! Here (Ongata Barta) were great herds of 

 oryx and Grant's gazelle^both the quantity of game and the 

 aspect of the country reminding me of the " high veldt " of the 

 Transvaal in the old days. From there to the foot of the 

 rugged mountain block called " Donyo le Nyiro," where is a 

 clear, strong, cold stream rushing over a rocky bed through a 

 deep gorge, is another long dry spell, rendered longer to us, 

 like the last (though the distance was in this case less formid- 

 able), by our old guide getting wrong in the night. 



This proved a fruitless and wholly disappointing trip. 

 The country was open and dry, and quite devoid of elephants 

 at that time, as far as I went. Farther I did not feel able to 

 penetrate then, owing to our small supply of food. We failed 

 to get into communication with the natives (Sambur) living 

 in the mountain, as they were suspicious and did nothing but 

 run away from us, with their cattle, up into the fortresses, when 

 we tried to get near enough to shout to them. Consequently 

 we could get no information from them ; and as we had seen 

 some Wakamba at our previous camp, who had come from 

 this neighbourhood, the prospect was very poor of finding the 

 game we sought ; for those people, who live south of the Tana, 

 hunt in large parties, scouring the country for long distances, and, 

 wounding far more than they kill with their poisoned arrows, 

 drive the elephants out of the whole district. Moreover I was 

 anxious, now that I saw that this trip was a mistake, to stop my 

 food caravan (which I had left word at El Bogoi was to follow 



