ELEPHANTS 
403 
CH. XIV] 
chorus, we heard the roaring of lions and the trumpet¬ 
ing of elephants. We were indeed in the heart of the 
African wilderness. 
Early in the morning after this concert we started for 
a day’s rhino hunt, Heller and Cuninghame having just 
finished the preparation, and transport to camp, of the 
skin of Kermit’s bull. Loring, who had not hitherto 
seen either elephant or rhino alive, went with us, and by 
good luck he saw both. 
A couple of miles from camp we were crossing a 
wide, flat, swampy valley, in which the coarse grass 
grew as tall as our heads. Here and there were kob, 
which leaped up on the ant-hills to get a clear view of 
us. Suddenly our attention was attracted by the move¬ 
ments of a big flock of cow herons in front of us, and 
then, watching sharply, we caught a glimpse of some 
elephants about four hundred yards off. W e now 
climbed an ant-hill ourselves, and inspected the elephants, 
to see if among them were any big-tusked bulls. There 
were no bulls, however; the little herd consisted of five 
cows and four calves, which were marching across a 
patch of burnt ground ahead of us, accompanied by 
about fifty white cow herons. We stood where we 
were until they had passed ; we did not wish to get too 
close, lest they might charge us and force us to shoot in 
self-defence. They walked in unhurried confidence, and 
yet were watchful, continually cocking their ears and 
raising and curling their trunks. One dropped behind 
and looked fixedly in our direction, probably having 
heard us talking ; then, with head aloft and tail stiffly 
erect, it hastened after the others, presenting an absurd 
likeness to a baboon. The four calves played friskily 
about, especially a very comical little pink fellow which 
accompanied the leading cow. Meanwhile, a few of the 
