igo ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 



jungle near where I had shot it. In doing so, I came upon 

 two or three elephants standing in a thick place, and had to 

 retreat and go round, leaving them so, for I had not another 

 cartridge for either of the rifles. 



It being now dusk, we started on our long tramp back to 

 camp, without having found my first bull. I did not consider 

 I had done as well as I ought to have (even allowing for one 

 or two elephants we had not found), considering the amount of 

 ammunition expended and the wonderful chance I had had at 

 this great herd in (for Central Africa) comparatively easy 

 ground. But I excused myself, to a certain extent, in that I 

 was out of health, having fever on me and being overwrought, 

 as I never now got a refreshing night nor had a healthy 

 appetite ; and, if it had not been that we kept crossing and 

 recrossing the stream and so could get water frequently, I 

 think the great exertion in the fierce heat would have told on 

 me more than it did ; as it was, I had not felt it much, the 

 excitement, no doubt, helping to keep me up. Moreover, the 

 difficulty of opening my double lo-bore after each discharge 

 and of extracting the empt\' cartridges, hampered me greatly ; 

 and the annoyance and even danger entailed by one's rifle 

 jamming in a hot corner, with elephants' getting up all round, 

 may be imagined. 



We had a good five hours' hard walk before us. Luckily 

 it was full moon. I kept swinging mechanically along at a 

 fast pace, though I felt pretty fagged ; but I knew it was 

 better not to rest. We heard elephants in one patch of bush 

 that we passed on our way. When wfe were getting near 

 camp, our Ndorobo made a mistake about the path. Just in 

 the apex where the two valleys join is a little koppie, connected 

 with the rest of the hills by a low neck. In the morning we 

 had cut this corner, but in the darkness we passed the turn off, 

 went right round the base of the koppie, and then went over 

 the neck by the same way we had gone in the morning, thus 

 getting back into the branch valley again, where we had already 



