272 THROUGH MASAILAND TO THE BORDERS OF KIKUYU 



us in a northerly direction, along the base of the Doenye Mellevo, 

 first over an undulating steppe, which, as was the case with the 

 Turuka plateau, became more hilly and wooded as we advanced. 

 The Turuka range, with its spurs and buttresses, made very 

 much the same impression upon us as it did upon Thomson, 

 namely, that of some mighty stronghold ; the little Mount 

 Kimbay, which stood out on our left, resembling an isolated 

 outwork. Not until after a long, hot march did we reach, at 

 the foot of the plateau, the dried-up bed of a brook filled with 

 blocks of gneiss, and with here and there a few holes, some of 

 them evidently made by the hand of man, containing a little 

 thick greenish water. 



On this march we had a good opportunity of noting the 

 devastation wrought by elephants when feeding in herds, for 

 great trees were uprooted or stripped of all their barks, whilst 

 the ground was strewn with branches. 



Count Teleki had seen a group of four elephants just before 

 he got to camp, and in the afternoon he went off to hunt them, 

 while I r emam ed in camp to work at our maps. 



A little later the news was brought to me that four ele- 

 phants had been seen some twenty minutes' walk from the camp 

 on a low hill surrounded by bush, standing perfectly motion- 

 less as if indulging in an afternoon siesta. Feeling sure these 

 must be the same animals the Count had noticed in the morn- 

 ing, so that there would be no fear of my disturbing him at the 

 wrong moment, I decided to go to him, taking with me one of 

 Kimemeta's men who had hunted with me before, and was 

 trustworthy and useful, although he had but one eye. The 

 sun was already sinking, so that there was no time to lose, 

 and we bore towards the place where the elephants had been 

 sighted, Hassan carrying an 8-bore rifle. But alas ! when 

 we got there there was no sign of them or of their spoors. 

 Crestfallen we turned towards home, when the happy thought 



