152 
ON SAFARI 
to cut their spoor on route, or, alternatively, to find the 
herd at Solai itself. 
After rounding the crater of Meningai, our course 
lay up that broad upland valley we had already 
traversed in 1904 (p. 48), and leaving the safari to 
pursue the direct path, we deflected with our gun-bearers 
into the wooded foothills of the northern slopes. There¬ 
in, during that morning, we encountered evidence of 
elephants on a scale the like of which we have not seen 
before or since. For miles this forest was absolutely 
devastated—wrecked: huge trees overthrown, one upon 
another, their limbs rent asunder; cedars and cypress, 
mimosas and acacias torn to shreds, the tall grass 
trampled flat; while, amidst the ruin, chewed branches 
and disgorged masses of bark and fibre everywhere 
littered the ground. We could plainly distinguish places 
where several elephants had worked collectively to over¬ 
throw some extra strong tree. This destruction had no 
relation to the herd of elephants we were now in search 
of; our men reckoned it dated a week previously, and 
our own judgment confirmed that view; yet we enjoyed 
the excitement of pushing forward through the wreck, 
picturing to ourselves a vast pachyderm at every forest¬ 
opening ! We also struck quite fresh spoor of buffalo, 
though we saw nothing except waterbuck. In the belt 
of brushwood bordering the veld below East-African 
Bohor reedbuck were now numerous, though none were 
seen here in 1904, and W-shot a couple. We also 
killed to-day a puff-adder. 
This country, eighteen months previously, had been 
full of Masai with their cattle, sheep and donkeys. Now 
these savages had been ‘‘removed” into the Laikipia 
Reserve ; their kraals were burnt and deserted, while 
elephant, buffalo and other game had reappeared. 
At midday we halted on the Alabanyata River, 
intending to push on at 4 p.m. ; but to our unspeakable 
vexation, the usual thunderstorm burst, torrential rains 
obliged us to encamp, and forbade all hope of further 
advance that night. A second shock followed. As 
