202 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



of gazelles feeding, I crept out cautiously on to the stony 

 ridge, and was able to get my shot at easy range before they 

 took the alarm, and to knock over my victim successfully. I 

 returned to my tent very pleased, and hopeful for the morrow. 

 It was extremely lucky my happening upon signs of elephants 

 here ; and, as I was now enjoying the blessings of health again, 

 and feeling quite strong and up to my work, I was in the 

 best of spirits. 



As soon as it was light next morning I started out to 

 hunt, attended, as usual v\'hen after elephant, by my three 

 faithfuls, Squareface, Juma, and Smiler. Skirting the edge of 

 the bush for a little way, before entering the wide part near where 

 I had found the tracks yesterday, we passed round the edge 

 of a slimy-looking, evil-smelling, salt lagoon, from which a slight 

 steamy-looking exhalation (strongly suggestive of malaria) was 

 rising in the still air of the early morning, and which had sent 

 us its contribution of mosquitoes during the night. Little 

 water-hens swam nodding about in it, and sacred ibises stood 

 solemnly on the mud. We then cut straight across the valley 

 bottom, passing through the dense cover with which the flats 

 bordering the stream were clad, to see if the elephants had 

 passed up during the night. Inside, the bush was tunnelled 

 with their paths, the soft ground being, in many places, worn 

 into deep grooves. Sometimes we came upon regular caverns 

 in the forest, the thicket being, as it were, hollowed out by 

 their trampling into shady cloisters, where they had evidently 

 been accustomed to rest and stand about, for the ground was 

 covered with their droppings. In other parts were grassy little 

 openings and passages — the soft, thick grass laid by their 

 sweeping tread. We found that they had passed during the 

 night ; but, before following the spoor, we went through to 

 the edge of the bush on the far side of the valley to make 

 sure that they had not returned. Having assured ourselves on 

 this point, we followed their tracks up stream. At one point, not 

 far from our camp, some of them had skirted the edge of the 



