X 
EXCURSIONS FROM EL BOGOI 
215 
made straight for the neighbourhood of a spring called Mreya. 
Our route led us along the foot of the range, still going north, 
and in and out of amphitheatres formed by the mouths of 
valleys running down from the mountains. All the country 
at their base and for some distance back from them was covered 
with dense scrub. We found spoor in the vicinity of the spring, 
but wasted a good deal of time in trying to puzzle out its 
ultimate direction, as the elephants had been strolling about 
backwards and forwards. Then I decided to do what we ought 
to have done at first ; namely, go to the water. There we found 
the spoor of two small lots, but, as far as I could make out, all 
cows ; and I could not discover the phenomenal footprint that 
had been described to me. One of the lots seemed to have 
gone back in the direction of El Bogoi, the other ahead. 
We followed the latter. It was slow work, for there were quite 
a few elephants and the tracks were often difficult to follow. 
They had been sauntering along, feeding here and there, as the 
chewed rolls of fibre of the mkongi plant (which they spit out) 
testified. Occasionally fresh droppings were on the spoor, 
but we had not found any warm yet ; and though, as is 
customary when elephants are known to be not far off, we 
stopped now and then to listen, no sound indicating their close 
proximity had reached our ears. 
We were thus moving along on the spoor without any 
immediate expectation of coming up with our game, though as 
a matter of course we were proceeding in the cautious and 
careful manner which becomes instinctive habit, threading our 
way silently through the narrow and more or less obstructed 
winding alleys which permeate these dense and thorny jungles 
and testing the wind now and again, when we came suddenly 
close upon them. I could see several at once, for, just where 
they were standing, the bush was not quite so thick. I stole up 
yet nearer, and stood surveying the position. Luckily the breeze 
was favourable and held steady. Two cows were close on my 
right, heads towards me, and prevented my getting into a better 
