202 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
of gazelles feeding, I crept out cautiously on to the stony 
ridge, and was able to get my shot at easy range before they 
took the alarm, and to knock over my victim successfully. I 
returned to my tent very pleased, and hopeful for the morrow. 
It was extremely lucky my happening upon signs of elephants 
here ; and, as I was now enjoying the blessings of health again, 
and feeling quite strong and up to my work, I was in the 
best of spirits. 
As soon as it was light next morning I started out to 
hunt, attended, as usual when after elephant, by my three 
faithfuls, Squareface, Juma, and Smiler. Skirting the edge of 
the bush for a little way, before entering the wide part near where 
I had found the tracks yesterday, we passed round the edge 
of a slimy-looking, evil-smelling, salt lagoon, from which a slight 
steamy-looking exhalation (strongly suggestive of malaria) was 
rising in the still air of the early morning, and which had sent 
us its contribution of mosquitoes during the night. Little 
water-hens swam nodding about in it, and sacred ibises stood 
solemnly on the mud. We then cut straight across the valley 
bottom, passing through the dense cover with which the flats 
bordering the stream were clad, to see if the elephants had 
passed up during the night. Inside, the bush was tunnelled 
with their paths, the soft ground being, in many places, worn 
into deep grooves. Sometimes we came upon regular caverns 
in the forest, the thicket being, as it were, hollowed out by 
their trampling into shady cloisters, where they had evidently 
been accustomed to rest and stand about, for the ground was 
covered with their droppings. In other parts were grassy little 
openings and passages—the soft, thick grass laid by their 
sweeping tread. We found that they had passed during the 
night ; but, before following the spoor, we went through to 
the edge of the bush on the far side of the valley to make 
sure that they had not returned. Having assured ourselves on 
this point, we followed their tracks up stream. At one point, not 
far from our camp, some of them had skirted the edge of the 
