Exactly Opposite Were Extensive
Encampments Of The Hamran Arabs, Who Were Congregated In
Thousands Between This Point And The Atbara Junction.
Their limit
for pasturage was about six miles up stream from Geera, beyond
which point they dare not trust their flocks on account of their
enemies, the Base.
We were immediately visited, upon our arrival, by a number of
Arabs, including the Sheik Abou Do, from whom I purchased two
good milk goats to accompany us upon our journey. I had already
procured one at Wat el Negur in exchange for a few strips of
hippopotamus hide for making whips.
Lions were roaring all night close to our sleeping place; there
were many of these animals in this neighbourhood, as they were
attracted by the flocks of the Arabs.
On the following morning, at daybreak, several Arabs arrived with
a report that elephants had been drinking in the river within
half an hour's march of our sleeping place. I immediately started
with my men, accompanied by Florian, and we shortly arrived upon
the tracks of the herd. I had three Hamran Arabs as trackers, one
of whom, Taher Noor, had engaged to accompany us throughout the
expedition.
For about eight miles we followed the spoor through high-dried
grass and thorny bush, until we at length arrived at dense jungle
of kittar,--the most formidable of the hooked thorn mimosas. Here
the tracks appeared to wander; some elephants having travelled
straight ahead, while others had strayed to the right and left.
While engaged in determining the path of the herd, we observed
four giraffes at about half a mile distant, but they had already
perceived us, and were in full flight. For about two hours we
travelled upon the circuitous tracks of the elephants to no
purpose, when we suddenly were startled by the shrill trumpet of
one of these animals in the thick thorns, a few hundred yards to
our left. The ground was so intensely hard and dry that it was
impossible to distinguish the new tracks from the old, which
crossed and recrossed in all directions. I therefore decided to
walk carefully along the outskirts of the jungle, trusting to
find their place of entrance by the fresh broken boughs. In about
an hour we had thus examined two or three miles, without
discovering a clue to their recent path, when we turned round a
clump of bushes, and suddenly came in view of two grand
elephants, standing at the edge of the dense thorns; having our
wind, they vanished instantly into the the jungle. We could not
follow them, as their course was down wind; we therefore made a
circuit to leeward for about a mile, and, finding that the
elephants had not crossed in that direction, we felt sure that we
must come upon them with the wind in our favour should they still
be within the thorny jungle; this was certain, as it was their
favourite retreat.
With the greatest labour I led the way, creeping frequently upon
my hands and knees to avoid the hooks of the kittar bush, and
occasionally listening for a sound.
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