190 
In the Heart of Africa 
swamp, I contrived to get the almost unconscious Mambo into a 
place of safety. The poor fellow was in sorry plight. He had 
sustained a number of contusions, and was unable to walk: With 
great difficulty we carried him through the swamp on to the firm 
ground, and there we prepared a stretcher, on which we laid him. 
I collected my guns, camera, and cartridges, which lay strewn 
about; the stock of the gun was splintered, but luckily the camera 
had not suffered much; even the plate (facing page i86), which 
shows the elephant before the attack, had not suffered by the 
flight through the air. The next thing to be done was to cut 
out the tusks, a task which made no small demands on our time 
and strength. Late in the afternoon we were able to think of 
getting homewards, and reached the camp at length in perfect 
darkness after an uninterrupted march of five hours along the 
banks of the Semliki and after an absence of fourteen hours, 
during which time we had not rested for a moment. Two hours 
later the ambulance came in with Mambo. The negro’s strong 
constitution brought him through; he progressed towards re¬ 
covery every day, and after the lapse of a week he was able to 
resume his duties. 
On the evening of the day after the hunting incident just 
related we were witnesses of a most thrilling display of natural 
fire-works. A steppe fire of unusual dimensions spread over the 
whole horizon, and traced out the contours of the mountains in 
an unbroken fiery line against the heavens. 
In this district the natives kindle fires in order to clear the 
ground of the older grass-growths, and so make room for the 
fresh luscious young grass which game find so appetising. The 
latter, particularly the elephant, stand in no fear of fire, but 
assemble gladly at such spots to graze on the tender new shoots. 
Generally speaking, the steppe fires are of an absolutely harm¬ 
less nature, but once, on Christmas Eve, they nearly proved fatal 
to us. An immense line of fire rolled over the mountain ridges, 
making direct for the thatched roofs of Kasindi. The phenome¬ 
non being an everyday one, we took no notice at first, but 
