ii6 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



In presenting this to Lesiat, I impressed upon him that 

 the most I could hope to do was to give more power to his 

 elbow. I disclaimed all pretensions to make an elephant- 

 slayer of a duffer. Confidence, I told him, was the main thing, 

 and particularly enjoined upon him the importance of getting 

 close before striking. On my starting for the coast, we parted 

 with mutual expressions of goodwill, and he most earnestly 

 wished me God-speed and a safe return. 



The men I had sent for, to Laiju, had not returned by the 

 time I wanted to start, and I had to send fresh messengers 

 after them. In the meantime we moved the ivory, etc., across 

 the Seya, making several journeys, and camped at a large rock 

 pool. We were nearly out of meal, and depending on meat 

 alone for food, so the non- arrival of the expected porters 

 caused me some anxiety. I had just made provision for some 

 time by shooting two rhinos one morning, when the men 

 arrived. They brought bad news. On the return journey of 

 the party which had brought my last supply of meal, its 

 members had disregarded my instructions, which were, first, 

 to keep together, and secondly, to avoid passing through 

 Embe, unless escorted by some of my Mthara friends — for I 

 distrusted the natives of the former district. They had, instead, 

 made a short cut over the hills, leaving Mthara to the right, 

 had straggled about in twos and threes — or even one man 

 alone — with the result that four had been murdered. The 

 Embe people seemed to have imagined that some disaster 

 must have overtaken us, that I was dead, and that these 

 scattered remnants of the caravan — as they supposed them — 

 would be an easy prey. This was a sad damper to my spirits, 

 and I felt that I had a difficult and distasteful task imposed 

 on me by this misfortune : come what might, it would be my 

 duty to endeavour to avenge the murder of my men before 

 returning to the coast. As for their companions, their grief 

 was short-lived. When a comrade is killed, porters are 

 dismayed at first, and appear overcome with dejection. The 



