ul BIG GAME SHOOTING, 1887 57 
Waller’s gazelle, but I was unsuccessful with these, and we 
formed a second bivouac without having found the main herd of 
elephants of which we had been in search. Next morning we 
marched back to Guldnleh, intending to bring away our main 
camp which had been left there, and to strike the river again 
at Sobdt, twelve miles above Jalélo. This plan we carried out, 
forming an encampment at Sobdt near the great rocks through 
which the Issutugan trickles at this spot. Below our camp 
the river-bed opened out into a broad, dry, sandy wddi with- 
out reeds, and bordered by dense forest with aloe undergrowth. 
The banks of this river from Sobat to Hembeweina were 
carpeted with grass and there was a good supply of water ; 
moreover, the nearest Somali karias were those of the Abdul 
Ishak, Habr Gerhajis, at least twenty miles to the south-east. 
These are the conditions most favourable fcr the presence of 
game. 
On the morning after our arrival at Sobat I was rudely 
awakened from my second sleep by Nur Osman poking me up 
with the butt-end of a Snider, and informing me that elephants 
had been heard trumpeting in the forest a short distance from 
the tent, where they had been quartering about, afraid to come 
to the water. It was still dark, but by the time I had lit a 
candle and had a wash and breakfast, a long red line in the 
east showed that the dawn was just beginning to break, and 
we sallied out. We expected to come on the fresh tracks at 
once, but we had searched the jungle round camp for at least 
half a mile in every direction before one of the men, who had 
gone farther afield, came running back saying he could show 
me the herd. Pushing forward to the top of the next rise, we 
looked about us, and in the thickest part of the forest saw 
several dark masses, which in the growing light we made out 
to be the ears of elephants moving backwards and forwards as 
they stood listening. Walking cautiously round them, we 
reached a small hillock which overlooked the jungle to leeward 
of them, and made a careful examination of the herd. While 
so doing we discovered that it was a very large one, some of 
the cows which we had at first overlooked being actually down 
wind of us. 
None appeared at first to notice us, but we must have con- 
cealed ourselves carelessly whilst moving about looking for a 
good tusker, and I think one or two of them later on became 
aware of our presence. We had been watching them for 
