CHAPTER III 
CAMPING AT MOUNT KENIA 
A good rhino horn—A fresh campaign — Advantage of head shot — Exciting 
encounter—Attacked by bees—A red-letter day—Eleven elephants killed—The 
Kenia jungle—Wealth of butterflies—A crater lake—Hippos—Return to Mthara 
—Start for the Gwaso Nyiro River—Signs of elephants—A hunter’s disappoint¬ 
ment—Sufferings from thirst—Encounter with lions—Rhinos—Filial affection— 
Despatch of ivory—Return to Laiju—A hazardous undertaking—Hostile natives. 
Accordingly I was off as soon as it was light; but as the 
guide had not met us by the time we reached the first swamp, 
just inside the forest already described, I sat down to wait 
while one of my men went off to look him up in his shamba, 
which was not far off. As their cultivation was so near the 
elephants’ haunt and the latter were so fond of making havoc 
of the crops by night, the owners were in the habit of sleeping 
there in huts built on very high stakes or in the branches of 
a big tree, whence they kept a look-out and tried by shouting 
to frighten away the depredators. We had to wait some time 
and as there was a cold wind blowing it was rather miserable 
so early; but I amused myself by watching through my 
glasses the quaint behaviour of some baboons sitting in a row 
that were trying to warm themselves in the sun on the other 
side of the swamp, where its first rays had just reached. While 
so engaged one of my men drew my attention to a rhino cow 
with a half-grown calf on the hillside just above, where it was 
open with only scattered shrubs. As we could see she had a 
very fine horn I determined to occupy myself during the delay 
