226 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



news he brought that Lesiat's party had killed one or two 

 elephants in the mountain forest ; however, he seemed confident 

 there would still be some about. The weather was much drier 

 and consequently more favourable for visiting the high 

 " subugo " than when I had been here the year before, for now 

 it seldom rained even on the range. Another Ndorobo friend 

 of mine, the head of the community who had been to El Gereh 

 with me and feasted on my elephants there, also came to see 

 me, and said he had a small tusk he wished to give me. Of 

 course such gifts entail return presents, and are really often 

 more costly in this way than if bought ; so that my general 

 motto with most natives is " timeo Danaos et dona ferentes " ; 

 but these people are not nearly so grasping and insatiable as 

 the average African, and I do not grudge treating them 

 liberally. 



On 1st October Abdulla left for Mthara once more. I was 

 still waiting for news about elephants, and thought it best not to 

 go to the " subugo " till I had got some. My old friend 

 Lesiat came to see me. He tried to conceal his success at the 

 elephants this time, and declared that he, at all events, had only 

 killed a very little one himself. He had brought me some most 

 beautiful honeycomb, as white as snow almost, and the honey 

 as clear as crystal. As usual he stayed all night in my camp, 

 where he knew he always got a hearty welcome and a hearty 

 feed. But when in the evening, after I had done my dinner, 

 he came to sit by the log fire in front of my tent to have our 

 customary chat, with Squareface as interpreter, I noticed that 

 there was a certain unwonted constraint in his manner. He 

 seemed to think he had not treated me quite well in scaring 

 the elephants while I was away, for he knew I had taken 

 particular pains to let him know when I killed mine : and I, 

 on my part, pretended to be angry with him. But the fact 

 was, he had been too lazy to go as far as El Gereh, which was 

 beyond his beat, and yet he did not like my going without 

 him. He declared he had no news of elephants anywhere 



