VII SECOND EXPEDITION 147 



The principal of these is a roaring rapid, and never ford- 

 able ; but, when the river is low, it can be spanned by a 

 rough bridge (or rather two bridges) of poles, at a point 

 where its waters — confined in a narrow trough — rush down 

 as a foaming cataract between opposing rocks. The other 

 channels may then be forded. The water was now surging 

 over these rocky buttresses, and far too high to permit of 

 bridging, even if the other channels could have been after- 

 wards crossed. 



Having shown my gun-bearers where to pitch my tent 

 by the tree in the small open flat with nice short grass, I 

 went down to the river-bank to try to secure some meat for 

 my party, as I knew there were always hippos close by. I 

 shot a small one, which, on getting the bullet under the ear, 

 dropped its ears for a second and then rolled over twice, feet 

 in the air. But we never found it, the river being too full 

 and the current too strong to allow the carcase to remain 

 where shot until it would float. I noticed that elephants 

 had been drinking quite lately (within a few days) near my 

 camp. The vicinity smelt quite strongly of waterbuck, a 

 small party of which I knew well by experience always 

 frequented these little grassy flats. Different kinds of game 

 have their distinctive odours, and one may often be warned 

 by scent of the neighbourhood of certain animals : water- 

 buck are among the most perfumed ; so are giraffes, par- 

 ticularly the bulls. In the afternoon a rhino came close to 

 camp, but it had made off by the time I could get hold 

 of a rifle. 



My men were all in by about one o'clock. No fear of them 

 dawdling more than they could help until reaching the water. 

 After a long, dry march like this, I always send my attendants 

 back, carrying water, to meet the caravan and give the thirsty 

 porters a drink. 



The next morning I went down the river to look for 

 elephant spoor, and soon found that some had drunk in the 



