364 ELEPHANT- HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



getting something more suitable. Farther on I saw four 

 young " topi " bulls, grazing in the open. Luckily, though, 

 there was some thin bush within shot of them on the leeward 

 side ; and by making a detour I was able to stalk them 

 successfully, and before they had made up their minds definitely 

 which was the safe direction to finally run away in, I had three 

 of them down within less than fifty yards of each other. The 

 fourth I let away as not wanted. 



I had three men with me, so with one working at each 

 buck the skins were soon removed and sent back to camp by 

 one of them, while I went round by the first of my elephants 

 of yesterday in the hopes of getting a shot with my camera, 

 which I had brought for the purpose, at vultures and marabouts 

 at work on the carcase. However, they had not yet been able 

 to effect an entrance through the hide, and so were only 

 soaring about and waiting for decay, beasts of prey, or man 

 to enable them to begin their feast. Great numbers of them 

 had been attracted to the vicinity, though, and the display 

 of meat drew many round our camp, as well as flocks of 

 crows and several kites. The kites were constantly swooping 

 down upon scraps, and the crows caused my men much 

 annoyance by their audacity in making raids on the garlands 

 of biltong spread about to dry. 



These last afforded me a good deal of amusement by their 

 droll ways. Like all crows, there is a comical seriousness 

 about their actions most diverting to study. One, bolder 

 than the rest, would advance by alternate hops and steps to 

 within an inch or two of a piece of meat ; make a feint ; look 

 about knowingly ; open his wings in false alarm ; drop again 

 in front of the alluring morsel, and finally stretch out his neck 

 and seize it with a sudden effort of resolution. Then the 

 others, who had been watching this adv^enturous individual 

 from close by, would pounce down eagerly, encouraged by his 

 success, and a regular scramble would ensue, until a stick 

 hurled among them by the indignant owner of the meat 



