354 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



disappeared among some big thorn-trees which grew on the 

 banks of a dry water-course just beyond. Finding that, after 

 crossing the spruit, they had taken away from the lake and 

 were making off into the bush, I sent Squareface back to bring 

 on the men, pitch camp under the shady trees, and then go 

 on to see whether there were any signs of more elephants 

 on ahead, while I and Juma followed on the spoor of the two 

 bulls. 



I was rather glad to have only Juma with me to-day, for 

 the other man sometimes rather flurried me, and as I never 

 took more than one gun now (the .303), a single gun-bearer was 

 sufficient. I was not feeling very hopeful, and as we trudged 

 along I thought what a contrast my present frame of mind 

 was with the confidence 1 should formerly have felt in a case 

 like this. We went up one long slope, and then, after topping 

 the rise, descended into a broad, shallow valley, in which were 

 some considerable patches of pretty dense and very thorny 

 scrub. I expected our game would stand in these, and we 

 had not yet got down to the flat when I caught sight of a 

 reddish - brown prominence visible over the similarly tinted 

 scrub. Had I not been on the look-out I might not have 

 noticed this, or mistaken it for an ant-heap ; but looking at it 

 carefully, I now made out that it was the ears and upper parts 

 of our two elephants, which were standing close together in the 

 middle of a thicket of stunted thorn bushes a good many acres 

 in extent. After reaching the level of the valley we could no 

 longer see them, and failed to find any possible way of approach 

 anywhere on the leeward side of the scrub. I was determined 

 not to enter this ; for, though dry and leafless and consequently 

 not difficult to see through for a short distance, the bushes of 

 which it was composed were of a kind armed with such villain- 

 ous hooked thorns that to move, except with the greatest 

 deliberation and care, would be impossible, inside. 



I imparted to Juma that my fixed resolve was to hunt " poli- 

 poli " to-day — that is, cautiously and gently — and he entirely 



