54 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST A EPIC A 
CHAP. 
drag the clumsy craft up against the stream. We then made 
another pair of paddles and desisted for that day, hoping for 
better luck on the morrow. 
In the morning we were at it again, this time pulling our 
canoe by hand over to the lowest island (having found that the 
channel was just fordable), and then up under the bank on the 
other side of it some distance, so as to get a good start. On 
trying again in this way, the paddlers succeeded in getting 
right across; but, the current being very swift under the 
opposite bank, they were not able to land, and came back, 
being carried far down again, and we had all the work of 
dragging up over again. In the afternoon we made another 
attempt, and the voyage was so far successful that they got across 
nicely and landed, but when coming back, later, were carried 
a long way down again. It was disappointing work, and 
difficult to get the men to exert themselves in the water at 
dragging the canoe back up stream. I had been having 
another go at the hippos, in hopes of getting some meat to 
cheer them up, and the men who had crossed in the canoe saw 
two dying on the far side, but were not able to get at them. 
The next day I sent the bulk of the men back again to the 
kraals with orders to Abdulla to wait until he heard from me, 
as I did not want to use up our food supplies here, and a 
few always work better than a large number. We then set 
to work to improve our dug-out, lightening her fore and aft, 
as the ends were too solid and made her unwieldy and hard 
to steer. We then tried her again, and were at length re¬ 
warded by a perfectly successful voyage both ways. One 
of yesterday’s hippos was found under the opposite bank, 
and cut up and the meat brought back in the canoe. It was 
in good condition, and the fat was a windfall. I also shot 
a goose. 
We now began to ferry over the loads, first four, afterwards 
six at a time. We were only able to make five trips the first 
day, the men wasted so much time. Africans are slow in brain 
