XIII A SOJOURN AT RESHIAT AND KERE 299 



view of its left — now under water — which had been next me 

 when it passed, and it had particularly caught my eye, being 

 long and of a yellowish colour.^ Anyway, I felt that I had 

 done a satisfactory morning's work. 



Several natives had now turned up, and I told them to 

 follow me to camp and I would then give them leave to take 

 the meat. Taking another look at my prize in the water as I 

 passed, I soon reached my tent — no great distance — and had 

 a bath and some food, while Squareface went with some porters 

 to cut out the fat and choose an elephant for my men (Swahilis 

 are prejudiced generally against eating elephant meat, but 

 many of mine had overcome their scruples while in my service, 

 and learnt to appreciate it), and make over the other one on 

 dry ground to our neighbours here, while that in the water was 

 to be for Lekwais's people. But when I got there later I found 

 that the natives had already cut up all three. I reached the 

 one in the water by being pushed through the intervening space 

 in a dug-out, but only the skeleton was left of the upper half, 

 and they were even cutting off the meat under water. When ex- 

 postulated with for this unseemly haste, they declared that they 

 meant no harm, but explained that they had been accustomed 

 to follow about the white man, who had been here lately, when 

 he went out shooting antelopes, to pick up the carcases left 

 lying on the veldt. 



Abdulla (my headman) was in great spirits at the news of 

 my success, and I felt I had made a good beginning towards 

 my ivory heap. My intention was, though, to push on till we 

 reached a district where food could be bought, as I knew the 

 importance of doing so while we still had a good store in hand, 

 and then, after making a standing camp and seeing the food 

 trade fairly started, to return with a few men to hunt. But as 

 the people at the kraal here were very keen to show me a large 



' The elephant which fell in the swamp eventually proved to be slightly the best. 

 The weights of the tusks when got out were — 113 lbs. and 11 1 lbs.; 112 J lbs. and 

 108 lbs. ; and 76^ lbs. and 66 lbs. Of course they subsequently lost a little in drying. 



