in different orbits.  The rhinoceros, after drinking, took to the hot, dry thorn scrub in the low hills; and as he drank at night, we rarely encountered him in the river bottoms where we were marching.  This was very lucky, for the cover was so dense that a meeting must necessarily be at close quarters.  Indeed these large and truculent beasts were rather a help than a hindrance, for we often made use of their wide, clear paths to penetrate some particularly distressing jungle.  However, we had several small adventures with them:  just enough to keep us alert in rounding corners or approaching bushes—­and nine-tenths of our travel was bushes and corners.  The big, flat footsteps, absolutely fresh in the dust, padded methodically ahead of us down the only way until it seemed that we could not fail to plump upon their maker around the next bend.  We crept forward foot by foot, every sense alert, finger on trigger.  Then after a time the spoor turned off to the right, towards the hills.  We straightened our backs and breathed a sigh of relief.  This happened over and over again.  At certain times of year also elephants frequent the banks of the Tsavo in considerable numbers We saw many old signs, and once came upon the fresh path of a small herd.  The great beasts had passed by that very morning.  We gazed with considerable awe on limbs snatched bodily from trees; on flat-topped acacias a foot in diameter pulled up by the roots and stood up side down; on tree trunks twisted like ropes.

Of the game by far the most abundant were the beautiful red impalla.  We caught glimpses of their graceful bodies gliding in and out of sight through the bushes; or came upon them standing in small openings, their delicate ears pointed to us.  They and the tiny dikdik furnished our table; and an occasional water-buck satisfied the men.  One day we came on one of the latter beasts sound asleep in a tiny open space.  He was lying down, and his nose rested against the earth just like a very old family horse in a paddock.

Besides these common species were bush-buck wart-hog, lesser kudu, giraffe, and leopard.  The bush-buck we jumped occasionally quite near at hand.  They ducked their heads low and rushed tearingly to the next cover.  The leopard was heard sighing every night, and saw their pad marks next day; but only twice did we catch glimpses of them.  One morning we came upon the fresh-killed carcass of a female lesser kudu from which, evidently, we had driven the slayer.

These few species practically completed the game list.  They were sufficient for our needs; and the lesser kudu was a prize much desired for our collection.  But by far the most interesting to me were the smaller animals, the birds, and the strange, innumerable insects.

We saw no natives in the whole course of our journey.

The valley of the river harboured many monkeys.  They seemed to be of two species, blue and brown, but were equally noisy and amusing.  They retired ahead of our advance with many remarks, or slipped past us to the rear without any comments whatever.  When we made camp they retired with indignant protests, and when we had quite settled down they returned as near as they dared.