194 THROUGH SOMALILAND AND ABYSSINIA CHAP. 
overturned by the herds, as they had fed along parallel to the 
course of the stream. Some of the tracks in the soft mud close to 
the stream were holes two feet deep. There was a deep and rapid 
current, which prevented our crossing with the camels, but we 
held along the eastern bank, going up-stream, towards the north. 
We found evidences of a large bull elephant having bathed 
and fed the night before, and taking up his tracks for two or 
three miles, the footprints which we had been following were 
joined by those of several others, and soon the whole country 
seemed to be covered with traces of elephants, trees being 
denuded of the branches or overturned at various dates. 
I sent Hassan Midgan and a Malingur guide along the river- 
bank to reconnoitre, and ordered them to work round and join 
us, when the height of the sun should indicate noon, at a little 
hill visible above the sea of forest two or three miles on ahead. 
Mounting the mule I made straight for this landmark with Géli 
and Daura, directing Abokr and a camelman to bring on the 
three camels slowly behind us. Reaching the hillock I cautiously 
climbed to the top, and began examining the expanse of flat 
green tree-tops, to try and discover the game. Daura began 
dancing about and snapping his fingers with pleasure, and 
pointed to some reddish-brown spots among the topmost 
branches of a thorn-tree half a mile away; looking long and 
carefully, I saw one of the red patches move just once, backward 
and forward. We knew then that what we saw were elephants’ 
ears. While we were still looking we heard the scream of an 
elephant, and the patches of red were raised above the foliage 
as the owners moved together through the jungle, pressing on 
one another, their course marked by the great swinging ears. 
Soon they stopped, and stood crowded together to listen, and 
we knew that they had seen or winded the two men I had sent 
round to the left. : 
This was awkward, but I ran hard for the line I thought 
they would take when they should resume their retreat; and 
getting into a thick patch of jungle, with Géli in attendance, I 
waited, hiding my body behind the stem of a tree, the wind 
blowing in our faces from where the elephants had last been 
seen. On they came, passing us at a great pace; and letting 
them go by, I fired at the ear of the largest, thirty yards away, 
a loud crack answering the report of the four-bore. They only 
screamed and redoubled their pace, and I ran on in their wake, 
half smothered in the cloud of dust they had raised. 
