V NDOROBO ELEPHANT-HUNTING 105 



and quite spoilt the old chap's pleasure during these times of 

 plenty, and he eventually lost half the wounded finger. 



These were great times with the Ndorobos of the whole 

 country-side. They all camped in the vicinity and in a few 

 days got quite sleek and fat, so that 1 could hardly recognise 

 my recently starved -looking neighbours. As, however, they 

 had overrun the elephants' favourite haunts, there seemed no 

 chance of more luck for me thereabouts for a time ; so I de- 

 termined to move a little farther off again. I was sorry to 

 leave my pleasant camp at El Bogoi, with its pure little stream 

 of water and shady tree with a canopy of creepers under which 

 I could sit and rest in the cool. I was pretty hard worked 

 there though, for game had to be sought a considerable distance 

 away to keep up the supply of meat, as my men had not yet 

 overcome the stupid Swahili prejudice against eating elephant 

 meat, though they did eventually when they got nothing else. 

 I was much inclined to move up on to the Lorogi range, where 

 there are extensive forests of the kind called by the Ndorobos 

 " Subugo " (a name applied to all similar high, damp forest 

 tracts), and several times told my native friends I wanted them 

 to guide me there. They did not refuse, but always tried to 

 dissuade me and evidently disliked the idea, their principal 

 objections being the cold and wet. One headman and 

 particular friend of mine expressed the hardship he would think 

 it to have to go there, by asking—" If I had a donkey " (he 

 did not add " what wouldn't go ") " would I take him to the 

 Subugo ? " So, as during the whole of my stay in the district 

 the mountains were almost continually enveloped in cloud, I 

 concluded their advice was good ; for not only would the 

 climate be extremely unpleasant, but the elephants only 

 frequent these cool, swampy forests when, through drought, 

 water is very scarce elsewhere. Moreover, I had already made 

 one mistake, against their advice, in going to Nyiro mountain. 

 I therefore only went across the Leseya (or Seya) River (one 

 day's march) ; and I did but little good there, only once finding 



