132 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
herds of the smaller zebra, numerous waterbucks, and many 
rhinos. I also saw a troop of Coke’s hartebeeste, and in the 
larger pools were hippos. 
On the way we fell in with a raiding party of some two 
hundred young warriors from Embe, on a kidnapping expedi¬ 
tion, bound for Thaka (a district a little higher up the Tana). 
Their idea of “ the war-path ” is to carry off any women and 
children they may be able to surprise in outlying “ shambas.” 
They were very civil and respectful to us, and went about their 
business when I told them we preferred having nothing to do 
with them under the circumstances. 
Farther on the country became gradually more bushy as 
we got nearer the river, till the thick Tana scrub was reached. 
While Dr. Kolb went on to shoot hippos, I halted where I 
had seen a little elephant spoor. I found a single bull, which 
I killed. He was a solitary wanderer of the “herd-bull” 
type: his tusks—long and handsome, but thin—weighed 
49 lbs. and 44 lbs. respectively, one being considerably 
thicker at the base than its fellow. Probably he had been 
ousted by a rival from the harem, and was sulking by himself. 
He was in poor condition and had two sores on his back. I 
was very pleased with this stroke of good luck, after so long an 
interval, and wrote in my diary: “ This was a glorious bit of 
exciting success. Nothing in the world can touch the glow of 
satisfaction on flooring a fine elephant.” 
On reaching the river I found the doctor enjoying himself 
vastly among the hippos. He had been combining sport with 
scientific research, and, on coming across to see me, produced 
from his pocket a little red hippopotamus he-had just acquired, 
about the size of a guinea-pig, in which he was deeply interested. 
As I could find no signs of any more elephants, and had 
made up my mind to visit the coast, sell what ivory I had, and 
reorganise my caravan for another expedition, I returned to 
Laiju to make my arrangements. I had all my goods trans¬ 
ported back to the outside kraals of Ukambani, across the 
