186 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST A EPIC A 
CHAP. 
blowing up stream and so with us, we at once turned off to 
the left, and climbed the rugged stony hills in order to make 
a long detour over them, and so get round above the elephants. 
As soon as we got on to the first ridge, so as to be able to look 
down over the valley from its elevation, a marvellous sight met 
our view. 
Stretched below was a large patch of thorn forest, fairly 
open, simply filled with elephants standing, mostly in clumps, 
here and there all through it. These seemed, unluckily, to be 
mostly cows (some with calves) or young bulls, but the massive 
forms of one or two big bulls could be distinguished among 
them. I stood and gazed at this magnificent scene. I had 
never seen anything like it before, all my experience of 
elephants having been in dense wood, where it was seldom 
possible to see more than two or three at a time. Then 
they began to move slowly about, and we hurried on, over the 
rough, rocky hills, until we got opposite a part of the valley 
beyond the herd. It was now about noon, or somewhat past. 
Having got right round, we descended, and, entering the thorn 
forest, advanced cautiously towards where we had last seen the 
elephants (of course we could see them no longer), having the 
wind now in our faces. But they had slowly strolled up 
towards us, and, as soon as we got near the spruit, we saw a 
large herd standing about, some in the stream, some on the 
banks, loitering and resting. Such a sight I never beheld. It 
reminded me of pictures in ancient books on South African 
hunting. In the foreground were some Grant’s gazelles and 
a large Grevy’s zebra ; the bush seemed full of vulturine guinea- 
fowls and francolins; “ paa ” (kirkii) were everywhere, and here 
and there one caught sight of a walleri or two making off, 
while small birds were in clouds. All the teeming life in this 
oasis was due to the life-giving moisture from the little stream. 
The mimosa trees, at this part, were large and wide-spread¬ 
ing, pleasantly shading the ground, which was here free from 
underwood, and the grass, though thin and scattered, was 
