294 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



resent such liberties, and, being provided with far-reaching 

 trunks, are able to make it unsafe even for such active and 

 persevering little hunters, to get rid of whom the tormented 

 donkey rolls in vain. Whether or not elephants harbour the 

 right sort of parasites to suit the taste of these little birds I 

 cannot say ; but the egrets appear to accompany animals, not 

 for anything to be found on their persons, but for the sake of 

 the insects disturbed by their feet as they move about. 



By the time I got near them the elephants were entering 

 the swamp, some already in the mud and water, which — full 

 of pits from their feet — was impassable for us. A few stood 

 still on the edge, and I might have reached them and shot 

 probably one ; but I thought it better to leave them alone, as, 

 though I might kill one, I should disturb the herd and could 

 not follow it, while interfering with my chance for the morrow. 

 So I satisfied myself with feasting my eyes on the spectacle, 

 standing on an ant-heap glasses in hand. It was a grand sight ! 

 There were some good tuskers among them, though, owing to 

 their being turned away from me and already among the 

 bushes, I could not get a view of the ivory of most, but the 

 massive size of those I could see showed them to be bulls. 

 One, a fine young male with beautiful white, symmetrical teeth 

 of perhaps 60 lbs. apiece — egrets sitting on his back, — stood 

 picking a mouthful or two of leaves off a shrub outside after 

 the others had entered the water. They slowly plodded, with 

 much splashing, through the deep mud, and disappeared into 

 the mangrove-like swamp. The wind, and everything except 

 the mud, had been favourable for shooting, and I was filled 

 with hopes of success for my hunting in this region. 



I returned to the caravan and we continued our march to 

 Bumi, the next little settlement ; which consists, like Reshiat, of 

 a few kraals scattered at intervals along the lake. A continuous 

 narrow strip of cultivation runs along the shore. The people 

 of both these little districts live from hand to mouth, beginning 

 to eat the green millet as soon as the grain is formed ; so that, 



