300 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
herd of elephants which, they said, were in the habit of drink¬ 
ing every night at the lake close by, and returning into the 
extensive bush, which here stretches from the open ground near 
the shore over all the gently-rising country behind, to pass the 
day, I determined to stay over one more day. I was sorry for 
my men, who could get little sleep ; as for me, though this 
Egyptian plague of mosquitoes destroyed all comfort, I could 
take refuge under my net, while they were unprotected from the 
merciless foe. I wondered how the natives could live in such 
a place, and, on inquiring, was told they slept in rows with fires 
between each two ; but my men declared fires to be of no avail 
against these mosquitoes, so I can only suppose the inhabitants 
had become to some extent inured to the venomous swarms. 
My next day’s hunt was rather a failure. My native 
guides proved to have little skill in venery, and took me 
careering about the bush without any method, apparently on 
the chance of running up against elephants. Like children, 
they fancied that where they had lately happened across the 
herd, there we were sure to find it now, and were astonished 
not to see the elephants waiting for us. Thrown upon our own 
resources, we pursued more systematic tactics, with the result 
that we at length found spoor. It led us a long chase over a 
series of low, gravelly ridges covered with fairly thick, though 
not dense, bush, and at last to a herd of cows and calves. I 
was not keen on shooting cows here, where I knew there were 
bulls to be found, and circled round the herd in hopes of dis¬ 
covering some. I could see none, and one large cow, with very 
fine teeth, was in the centre of the herd, and I could not get 
near her without alarming others I should have to pass. The 
upshot of it was that, the wind being shifty, some of those on 
the outskirts, which I had passed very close to before I saw 
them, got my wind, and the whole troop stampeded ; and, 
though I followed a long way, all I could get a chance at were 
two small cows, which I shot with my .303. I killed these for 
the sake of the natives near whose kraal we were camped, as 
