92 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
Altogether, it took us a day and the greater part of the 
night to traverse this stage. The porters got a good deal dis¬ 
tressed, and we had at last to leave the loads and get on to the 
water, which we reached just before dawn. It is not the first 
time that I have welcomed the croaking of frogs in Central 
Africa as the most delightful music, on approaching at length 
the longed-for “ stream in the desert.” After a long, weary march 
through waterless wilderness, how affectionately one regards the 
“ reeds and rushes ” about the pool or spring in the parched 
and thirsty land ! Here (Ongata Barta) were great herds of 
oryx and Grant’s gazelle—both the quantity of game and the 
aspect of the country reminding me of the “high veldt ” of the 
Transvaal in the old days. From there to the foot of the 
rugged mountain block called “ Donyo le Nyiro,” where is a 
clear, strong, cold stream rushing over a rocky bed through a 
deep gorge, is another long dry spell, rendered longer to us, 
like the last (though the distance was in this case less formid¬ 
able), by our old guide getting wrong in the night. 
This proved a fruitless and wholly disappointing trip. 
The country was open and dry, and quite devoid of elephants 
at that time, as far as I went. Farther I did not feel able to 
penetrate then, owing to our small supply of food. We failed 
to get into communication with the natives (Sambur) living 
in the mountain, as they were suspicious and did nothing but 
run away from us, with their cattle, up into the fortresses, when 
we tried to get near enough to shout to them. Consequently 
we could get no information from them ; and as we had seen 
some Wakamba at our previous camp, who had come from 
this neighbourhood, the prospect was very poor of finding the 
game we sought ; for those people, who live south of the Tana, 
hunt in large parties, scouring the country for long distances, and, 
wounding far more than they kill with their poisoned arrows, 
drive the elephants out of the whole district. Moreover I was 
anxious, now that I saw that this trip was a mistake, to stop my 
food caravan (which I had left word at El Bogoi was to follow 
