VIII EXCURSIONS FROM EL BOGOl 185 



gorge, just above which we found the first pool. Two or three 

 of the elephants had drunk here, but not all. We stopped 

 again, too, for a drink and another rest. We had now been 

 walking about four hours, and I was still doubtful whether to 

 go farther or return to camp. But my Ndorobo boy was 

 confident we should overtake our game if we persevered ; my 

 gun-bearers, too, were keen to go on, and I thought after 

 coming so far it was a pity not to keep on as long as there was 

 any hope of coming up with the herd, so we continued our 

 course up stream. 



Beyond this narrow gorge, which was shut in by high cliffs 

 of red rock, the valley opened out wider, but the hillsides were 

 still of the same bare, dry, stony character. Pursuing our 

 explorations still further, we came to a salt swamp, full of 

 jungle, which, though naturally thick, was mauled, broken 

 down, and trampled by elephants, and cut up by their paths. 

 Hereabouts, too, was plenty of fresh spoor — not merely that of 

 our travellers of yesterday's acquaintance, but of others, which, 

 it was apparent, had been merely wandering at will. As we 

 advanced, the prospect became more and more encouraging, 

 and I felt glad 1 had not been so foolish as to turn back. On 

 the sandy bed now ran a shallow stream ; the swampy jungle 

 bordering it was of much greater extent and denser than 

 hitherto, and where the flats (here much wider) were dry, they 

 were covered with mimosa forest. These, except the large 

 trees, were broken down and wrecked by the elephants, while 

 the bushes and shrubs were distorted and crippled ; in fact, 

 the condition of the bush in this great elephant haunt can only 

 be described as " rack and ruin." 



Still following up the stream, as we turned a corner and 

 came into view of a long, straight reach, bordered on one side 

 by mimosa forest, and on the other by thick leafy scrub of 

 suaki and other bushes, suddenly I descried two or three 

 elephants a long way ahead, standing in the bed of the stream, 

 close to a grove of large mimosa trees. As the wind was 



