154 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



drag the clumsy craft up against the stream. We then made 

 another pair of paddles and desisted for that day, hoping for 

 better luck on the morrow. 



In the morning we were at it again, this time pulling our 

 canoe by hand over to the lowest island (having found that the 

 channel was just fordable), and then up under the bank on the 

 other side of it some distance, so as to get a good start. On 

 trying again in this way, the paddlers succeeded in getting 

 right across ; but, the current being very swift under the 

 opposite bank, they were not able to land, and came back, 

 being carried far down again, and we had all the work of 

 dragging up over again. In the afternoon we made another 

 attempt, and the voyage was so far successful that they got across 

 nicely and landed, but when coming back, later, were carried 

 a long way down again. It was disappointing w'ork, and 

 difficult to get the men to exert themselves in the water at 

 dragging the canoe back up stream. I had been having 

 another go at the hippos, in hopes of getting some meat to 

 cheer them up, and the men who had crossed in the canoe saw 

 two dying on the far side, but were not able to get at them. 

 The next day I sent the bulk of the men back again to the 

 kraals with orders to Abdulla to wait until he heard from me, 

 as I did not want to use up our food supplies here, and a 

 few always work better than a large number. We then set 

 to work to improve our dug-out, lightening her fore and aft, 

 as the ends were too solid and made her unwieldy and hard 

 to steer. We then tried her again, and were at length re- 

 warded by a perfectly successful voyage both ways. One 

 of yesterday's hippos was found under the opposite bank, 

 and cut up and the meat brought back in the canoe. It was 

 in good condition, and the fat was a windfall. I also shot 

 a goose. 



We now began to ferry over the loads, first four, afterwards 

 six at a time. We were only able to make five trips the first 

 day, the men wasted so much time. Africans are slow in brain 



