Ill 
TOUCH AND GO 
37 
appendage is merely covered with a short, barely 
perceptible down. I still retain this freak tail 
as a memento, and shall be delighted to show 
it to anyone who may be interested. 
Early next morning, with the assistance of my 
boy, Tumbo, I photographed the elephants, and, 
setting out in a maschilla, a species of portable 
hammock, rigged up out of my blankets, I 
arrived at my camp just as night was falling. 
Never was return more welcome, and the picture 
that met my gaze as we approached is still vivid 
in my mind’s eye. The greenish canvas of my 
tent gave a curious illusion of faint luminescence 
in the dusk ; above it, in the sky, hung the golden 
sickle of a young moon, and on the horizon, as 
if tangled in the branches of a tree, there flashed 
that glorious jewel of the tropical heavens— 
the Southern Cross. Here and there, about the 
dark shadows of the huts, burned fires, round 
which sat or reclined the shapes of men, women, 
and children, some in silhouette, some lit up by the 
ruddy flames. The low hum of their conversa¬ 
tion, every now and then broken by a hearty 
laugh or a snatch of crooning song, came to our 
ears, and, all of a sudden, on becoming aware 
of our return, a wild commotion, and loud, wel¬ 
coming shouts. Next moment, a crowd of eager 
chatterers had surrounded us, and were excitedly 
