274 
ELEPHANT - HUNTING. 
they were welcome to leave, but they must not take 
their guns, as they were Speke's property, they got 
up abruptly, saying, " The guns are ours, and we 
march to-morrow with Budja to M'tessa." They in- 
solently beat the drum at night for a morning's march. 
Kamarasi seems to have had information of this, for 
nearly two hundred men, all armed, were collected 
and gathered round our hut next day to resist, if 
necessary, any attempt made by the Waganda to take 
us forcibly away. However, they were not required, 
as by six o'clock of the morning of the 1st September 
twenty-eight Seedees deserted with Budja, who took 
with him the rain-gauge as a present for his king. 
Thus we were well rid of all the disaffected of our 
camp, and left simply with Bombay and our best 
Seedee servants. 
2d to 9 th September. — The great events of this 
week were elephant-shooting and our arrival in sight 
of Kamarasi's residence. 
Let us note the former. A number of Wanyoro led 
the way out of camp to a forest covered with tall 
grasses like wild oats, and with ordinary-sized shady 
trees. Mounds of earth, the formation of white ants, 
were here and there visible. After a time the boughs 
bore marks as if lightning had struck them, they were 
broken so wantonly; the grasses underneath were 
trodden as if they had been passed over by a roller. 
All the spoors were fresh, so that every moment we 
expected to see the herd, and not a little excitement 
prevailed. A low whistle from a sharp-eared Wanyoro 
made us all exchange glances. He had heard the 
cracking of branches, and soon, sure enough, about 
three hundred yards distant, in the open grass, were 
