300 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



herd of elephants which, they said, were in the habit of drink- 

 ing every night at the lake close by, and returning into the 

 extensive bush, which here stretches from the open ground near 

 the shore over all the gently-rising country behind, to pass the 

 day, I determined to stay over one more day. I was sorry for 

 my men, who could get little sleep ; as for me, though this 

 Egyptian plague of mosquitoes destroyed all comfort, I could 

 take refuge under my net, while they were unprotected from the 

 merciless foe. I wondered how the natives could live in such 

 a place, and, on inquiring, was told they slept in rows with fires 

 between each two ; but my men declared fires to be of no avail 

 against these mosquitoes, so I can only suppose the inhabitants 

 had become to some extent inured to the venomous swarms. 



My next day's hunt was rather a failure. My native 

 guides proved to have little skill in venery, and took me 

 careering about the bush without any method, apparently on 

 the chance of running up against elephants. Like children, 

 they fancied that where they had lately happened across the 

 herd, there we were sure to find it now, and were astonished 

 not to see the elephants waiting for us. Thrown upon our own 

 resources, we pursued more systematic tactics, with the result 

 that we at length found spoor. It led us a long chase over a 

 series of low, gravelly ridges covered with fairly thick, though 

 not dense, bush, and at last to a herd of cows and calves. I 

 was not keen on shooting cows here, where I knew there were 

 bulls to be found, and circled round the herd in hopes of dis- 

 covering some. I could sec none, and one large cow, with very 

 fine teeth, was in the centre of the herd, and I could not get 

 near her without alarming others I should have to pass. The 

 upshot of it was that, the wind being shifty, some of those on 

 the outskirts, which I had passed very close to before I saw 

 them, got my wind, and the whole troop stampeded ; and, 

 though I followed a long way, all I could get a chance at were 

 two small cows, which I shot with my .303. I killed these for 

 the sake of the natives near whose kraal we were camped, as 



