114 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chai-. 



that of the other, and he was fatter ; perhaps a somewhat 

 younger animal. My three bullet-holes formed a triangle on 

 his chest ; two went through the heart. 



By this time I and these artless Xdorobo savages had 

 become fast friends, as was natural under the circumstances. 

 We were mutually useful to each other ; they showed me 

 where to find elephants, and, when I killed any, they grew fat 

 on the meat, and laid up stores of dried strips of flesh and of 

 fat boiled out of the bones. Superstitious, like all Africans, it 

 is not to be wondered at that they gave me credit for possess- 

 ing something in the nature of magic, to aid me in the chase. 

 I think my field-glasses may have added to the impression. I 

 remember one day in particular, when, accompanied by two 

 of them, I had made a long round over the foot-hills of the 

 Lorogis, near where the Seya River comes through the southern 

 extremity of the range, and, having failed to find any fresh 

 indications of the presence of elephants in the neighbourhood, 

 we were just about to give up the quest. Standing on a spur 

 of the mountain, I was scanning the wide expanse of jungle, 

 that stretched below us, with my glasses, when, by the greatest 

 luck, I happened to catch a glimpse of some reddish objects, 

 passing a slight gap among the trees, a couple of miles away. 

 I knew these could be nothing but dusted elephants. No one 

 else had seen them, and I could tell by their manner that my 

 guides of the day, who had not hunted with me before, were 

 incredulous. On reaching the part where I had seen the 

 elephants, we could at first find no signs ; and their smiles 

 plainly told that the Ndorobos did not believe there were 

 any in the neighbourhood. But I was confident I had not 

 been mistaken, and determined to persevere. We had not 

 gone quite far enough, it proved, and a little more search 

 brought us to their fresh spoor in the dusty soil. The 

 change in my friends' demeanour was marked, and as that 

 was the occasion (already casually referred to) when I killed 

 three, the feasting which ensued served to impress the inci- 



