TRACKING ELEPHANTS 
327 
favourite feeding-spot, or perhaps that we might even encounter 
them on their return to the water early next day. Elephants 
approach the water here every other day to drink, and unless 
disturbed usually prefer to visit the same spot for that purpose. 
We tracked on till overtaken by darkness, and then camped, 
congratulating ourselves that the horses drank hut little of the 
water that the hoys brought along shortly afterwards: a fact 
which showed that the horses were very fresh, and with another 
drink in the morning would do us good service on the following 
day. At daybreak we were on the track again, going very 
cautiously, while anxiously discussing the wind which seemed to 
be blowing from different directions every minute. On every 
rise we ascended Witboy climbed up a tree to see if there was 
anything in the valley beyond, but his ‘ nog niet ’ (not yet) met 
us every time he descended, informing us that they were still 
beyond the next rise. In this manner we proceeded till midday, 
when we were startled by hearing an enormous fusilade about 
three miles off, and realised that some hunters had ‘flushed’ 
the elephants from ahead, scattering them far and wide. Our 
only hope lay in the possibility of some of the elephants flying 
in our direction, for our horses would never stand the strain of 
a gallop after the already fleeing elephants with the start they 
had got, and with the certainty of spending another night, and 
possibly part of next day without water, for our supply was now 
exhausted. After waiting an hour watching from tree-tops for 
stray elephants, we gave it up and went on the back track, 
reaching camp late at night, but with the horses still in such 
good condition that with a good drink and feed they would be 
serviceable the next day. 
I was much disappointed at our failure to reach the 
elephants, as this probably would be my last opportunity to 
shoot one, and the consoling promises I had made to myself 
to seek compensation later while neglecting them on the Chobe, 
where they were more plentiful, being afraid to delay the expe¬ 
dition by an over-supply of meat, were now melted into thin air. 
Stremboom, however, assured me that there was still a pos- 
