VIII 
EXCURSIONS FROM EL BOGOI 
181 
again, and at the same time find out their exact whereabouts. 
Having made our way to the edge of the jungle, we went 
along, outside, back to where the caravan was left; and the 
men told us that the elephants had passed quite near them, 
and were just ahead. Feruzi, my cook, was in a great state 
of excitement, and amused me much by the ardent interest 
he took in the chase. I got round to leeward of them 
again ; then went in, and, making the most, as before, of the 
opportunities when the wind blew strongly, got up to them 
and dropped one more in the same way, giving another a 
shot in the ribs as they started off. We now crossed over 
to the opposite hill again, whence we could get a better view 
over the whole of the valley bottom, and saw some moving 
about in the brake. Once three came near enough, below 
our perch on the steep hillside, to give me a chance for a 
shot with the Lee-Metford ; but while I waited to get the 
glasses, in order to make out which had the best tusks, they 
moved away again. Climbing down and following up once 
more, we got near, but could not see anything for the jungle, 
which was particularly impracticable at that part, while the 
wind had died away ; and to creep through a low tunnel in 
the tangled reedy growth to right under an elephant’s nose, 
when it, being on the look-out, is bound to hear you coming, 
is not pleasant nor likely to be always healthy. So I 
hesitated, and they went off again before I could get a shot. 
In looking for them afterwards, in the direction we had been 
in before, we came upon another dead elephant, which I had 
not seen fall, evidently the one I had fired at last. 
It was now near sundown, so I returned to the caravan and 
determined to pitch camp. On going back over the rise, for 
that purpose, whence we had first seen the elephant in the 
morning, we could make out two or three still visible; but 
these were on the far side of the swamp, and in a very dense 
part, so I let them alone. I thought they were cows with 
calves, which was a good reason for not attacking them ; but 
