354 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
disappeared among some big thorn-trees which grew on the 
banks of a dry water-course just beyond. Finding that, after 
crossing the spruit, they had taken away from the lake and 
were making off into the bush, I sent Squareface back to bring 
on the men, pitch camp under the shady trees, and then go 
on to see whether there were any signs of more elephants 
on ahead, while I and Juma followed on the spoor of the two 
bulls. 
I was rather glad to have only Juma with me to-day, for 
the other man sometimes rather flurried me, and as I never 
took more than one gun now (the .303), a single gun-bearer was 
sufficient. I was not feeling very hopeful, and as we trudged 
along I thought what a contrast my present frame of mind 
was with the confidence I should formerly have felt in a case 
like this. We went up one long slope, and then, after topping 
the rise, descended into a broad, shallow valley, in which were 
some considerable patches of pretty dense and very thorny 
scrub. I expected our game would stand in these, and we 
had not yet got down to the flat when I caught sight of a 
reddish - brown prominence visible over the similarly tinted 
scrub. Had I not been on the look-out I might not have 
noticed this, or mistaken it for an ant-heap ; but looking at it 
carefully, I now made out that it was the ears and upper parts 
of our two elephants, which were standing close together in the 
middle of a thicket of stunted thorn bushes a good many acres 
in extent. After reaching the level of the valley we could no 
longer see them, and failed to find any possible way of approach 
anywhere on the leeward side of the scrub. I was determined 
not to enter this; for, though dry and leafless and consequently 
not difficult to see through for a short distance, the bushes of 
which it was composed were of a kind armed with such villain¬ 
ous hooked thorns that to move, except with the greatest 
deliberation and care, would be impossible, inside. 
I imparted to Juma that my fixed resolve was to hunt “ poli- 
poli ” to-day—that is, cautiously and gently—and he entirely 
