292 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA ch. xiii 



wilderness we had been able to travel quietly and comfortably 

 without any hardships or privations worth speaking of. Hard 

 zvork we had had some of among the hills and rocks and 

 stones of the south end of the lake, but no insurmountable 

 obstacles nor serious accidents. Above all, the lake had 

 always been near to give us water and guide us on our way 

 without risk of thirst. Everything had seemed in our favour, 

 and happened most propitiously for our journey. 



We were now close to the extreme northern end of the 

 lake, and the shore we were following was in reality that 

 of its most easterly inlet running in that direction. As we 

 proceeded on the following morning (28th December) along 

 the extensive low flats studded with " suaki " bushes, which at 

 this point border the lake, the part of the latter we were 

 skirting assumed almost the character of a mangrove swamp. 

 The shallow water is thickly filled with bush extending far 

 out ; indeed, from the low bank, except a lane here and there, 

 little open water can be seen, and it appears as if the whole 

 width of the gulf were of this nature. 



I soon noticed quite fresh elephant spoor along the path 

 we were now following, and some distance ahead a flock of 

 white egrets attracted my attention, hovering about one spot 

 at the edge of the marsh and anon settling, apparently on the 

 bushes. On getting nearer I made out a herd of elephants 

 just outside of this swamp bush. I stopped the " safari " and 

 went towards them with only my gun-bearers. There might 

 be thirty of them : I could not see them all at once. They 

 were moving slowly along, feeding here and there as they went, 

 accompanied by the white egrets, which perched on their backs 

 and heads and bespattered them with white splashes, the pure 

 white plumage of the birds contrasting picturesquely with the 

 dark bodies of their great hosts, who seemed to have no 

 objection to their attentions. Why, then, I wondered, do the 

 tick birds never haunt elephants as they constantly do rhinos 

 and other animals ? I have always supposed that elephants 



