220 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST A EPIC A 
CHAP. 
the mountains as far as another spring where I had shot some 
elephants the previous trip, and that there was not a spoor to 
be seen anywhere in that direction. It was pretty late before 
I had done my gun-cleaning, bathed, and dined. My dinner 
consisted of broiled kabobs of fat elephant heart and Grant’s 
gazelle fillet spitted alternately on a stick—a really delicious 
dish. 
I did not intend to do anything but move camp on the 
following day and we had not far to go, so for once in a way 
I slept till broad daylight and then had breakfast quietly and 
comfortably before starting. Baithai accompanied me and we 
were followed by his belongings—women, children and all, their 
household gods (not very extensive) on the women’s backs. 
These Ndorobos are pleasant people when you have won their 
confidence. They looked on me as a benefactor, and always 
greeted me with friendly smiles. Shaking hands with them 
(a custom of their own) is rather a trial sometimes, when they 
have been busy about the carcase of an elephant that has been 
dead several days (elephant meat does not keep well), or 
handling some hoarded bones with a powerful aroma, it is 
true ; but I like such cordial manifestations of confidence in 
one. 
I found the rock pit a good-sized one and full of curious- 
looking water, very green and opaque, but not bad tasted. No 
doubt its colour was caused by some kind of minute growth in 
it ; though why this particular pool should differ in this way 
from other similar ones puzzled me. It was on a rocky little 
spur of an outlying hill near the foot of the main range, and I 
found a picturesque spot to camp in, half-way up the side, 
where there was just enough fairly level ground to pitch my 
tent under a convenient tree. Being pretty high here, my 
camp commanded a magnificent view over the country north¬ 
wards right up to Mount Nyiro (near the south end of Lake 
Rudolph), which loomed up big and dark in the distance. I 
spent a rather pleasant, lazy day after the short march, making 
