14 TRACKING ELEPHANTS, The Base are quite unlike any other African tribe I ever ame across, one village having no communication or friendly relationship with another one, only a few miles off, so that they are anything but a united people ; and in this way one has constant delays in travelling amongst them, as it is necessary to be all the time making fresh friends as one goes along. I do not believe that the Base dwelling on the Mareb know anything whatever of those on the Settite.

Our Haikota horsemen declared it would not be necessary to go all the way back to Haikota before crossing to the Settite ; as they knew of a road which turned off about three days' journey from that place, and where we could obtain water. A very pleasant day's march took us past Koolookoo. I think this is the most picturesque part of the Gash : its bed is here narrower than usual, and its course most tortuous. Immense trees in full leaf line either bank ; and the undergrowth is very thick, affording excellent covert for the partridges and guinea-fowl, which are most numerous, and gave us capital sport. Where the covert is not too thick, these birds run, and are very unwilling to rise. They were most useful for our commissariat department ; and, although very dry eating, we were very glad to get them.

Elephants had passed quite recently in the direction of the Settite, whither they had probably gone. They frequently march through from one river to the other, and, when pursued on the Settite, very often make for the Gash, and vice versa. My brothers took up the tracks, and followed them for some miles. They were only a day or two old ; and the whole herd, about thirty of them, at Wo Ammar, had marched clean through our old zariba inside which we decided to spend the night.

At this point most of our Base left us, and none of them ac-