they were welcome to leave, but they must not take
their guns, as they were Speke’s property, they got
up abruptly, saying, “ The guns are ours, and we
march to-morrow with Budja to M’tessa.” They insolently
heat the drum at night for a morning’s march.
Kamarasi seems to have had information of this, for
nearly two hundred men, all armed, were collected
and gathered round our hut next day to resist, if
necessary, any attempt made by the Waganda to take
us forcibly away. However, they were not required,
as by six o’clock of the morning of the 1st September
twenty-eight Seedees deserted with Budja, who took
with him the rain-gauge as a present for his king.
Thus we were well rid of all the disaffected of our
camp, and left simply with Bombay and our best
Seedee servants.
2d to 9th September.—The great events of this
week were elephant-shooting and our arrival in sight
of Kamarasi’s residence.
Let us note the former. A number of Wanyoro led
the way out of camp to a forest covered with tall
grasses like wild oats, and with ordinary-sized shady
trees. Mounds of earth, the formation of white ants,
were here and there visible. After a time the boughs
bore marks as if lightning had struck them, they were
broken so wantonly; the grasses underneath were
trodden as if they had been passed over by a roller.
All the spoors were fresh, so that every moment we
expected to see the herd, and not a little excitement
prevailed. A low whistle from a sharp-eared Wanyoro
made us all exchange glances. He had heard the
cracking of branches, and soon, sure enough, about
three hundred yards distant, in the open grass, were
the blue backs of about forty elephants. I had never
seen such a sight, and Speke wished me to have the
first shot; but another herd appeared in an opposite
direction, and I preferred going alone, with a single
follower carrying a spare gun. Here, whichever way
we looked, for three-fourths of the horizon, elephants
were seen, all grazing quietly, perfect “ lords of the
forest,” and so unconcerned that I walked boldly upright
through the grass to a tree within fifty yards of
twenty of them. It was a beautiful sight; all were
mothers with their young; none so large as the Indian
breed, but short, stumpy, handy-looking animals, with
small, long, and uniform tusks. The most game point
and the most striking about them was the peculiar
back-set of their enormous ears. While waiting to get
a close shot by their coming nearer me, I looked round
for my man with the second rifle. Master Seedee was
nowhere! so putting up my Lancaster rifle, and aiming
behind the shoulder of an old female with long
tusks, I fired: she merely mingled with her comrades,
who stood around in stupid alarm. In an absent fit of
gazing, I forgot to reload till they were approaching
me. I then changed my position to another tree, within
thirty yards of a full-sized animal, whose shoulder-
blade wrinkles I could trace distinctly, and brought
her down on her hind-quarters with a small bullet.
Up she got, rushed in amongst some others, who, with
tails erect, commenced screeching and trumpeting,
dreadfully alarmed, not knowing what was taking place.
At last, some head wiser than the others took the lead,
and off they all scuttled into thicker cover. I ran
after them, but the jungle got so dense that there was
some fear I should lose my way, as no one was within