VII 
SECOND EXPEDITION 
47 
The principal of these is a roaring rapid, and never ford¬ 
able ; but, when the river is low, it can be spanned by a 
rough bridge (or rather two bridges) of poles, at a point 
where its waters—confined in a narrow trough—rush down 
as a foaming cataract between opposing rocks. The other 
channels may then be forded. The water was now surging 
over these rocky buttresses, and far too high to permit of 
bridging, even if the other channels could have been after¬ 
wards crossed. 
Having shown my gun-bearers where to pitch my tent 
by the tree in the small open flat with nice short grass, I 
went down to the river-bank to try to secure some meat for 
my party, as I knew there were always hippos close by. I 
shot a small one, which, on getting the bullet under the ear, 
dropped its ears for a second and then rolled over twice, feet 
in the air. But we never found it, the river being too full 
and the current too strong to allow the carcase to remain 
where shot until it would float. I noticed that elephants 
had been drinking quite lately (within a few days) near my 
camp. The vicinity smelt quite strongly of waterbuck, a 
small party of which I knew well by experience always 
frequented these little grassy flats. Different kinds of game 
have their distinctive odours, and one may often be warned 
by scent of the neighbourhood of certain animals: water- 
buck are among the most perfumed ; so are giraffes, par¬ 
ticularly the bulls. In the afternoon a rhino came close to 
camp, but it had made off by the time I could get hold 
of a rifle. 
My men were all in by about one o’clock. No fear of them 
dawdling more than they could help until reaching the water. 
After a long, dry march like this, I always send my attendants 
back, carrying water, to meet the caravan and give the thirsty 
porters a drink. 
The next morning I went down the river to look for 
■elephant spoor, and soon found that some had drunk in the 
