I was astonished at
the absence of elephants in such favourable ground; for some
miles I walked along the margin of the river without seeing a
track of any date. Throughout this country, these animals are so
continually hunted that they have become exceedingly wary, and
there can be little doubt that their numbers are much reduced.
Even in the beautiful shooting country comprised between the
river Gash and Gallabat, although we had excellent sport, I had
been disappointed at the number of elephants, which I had
expected to find in herds of many hundreds, instead of forty or
fifty, which was the largest number that I had seen together. The
habits of all animals generally depend upon the nature of the
localities they inhabit. Thus, as these countries were subject to
long drought and scarcity of water, the elephants were, in some
places, contented with drinking every alternate day. Where they
were much hunted by the aggageers, they would seldom drink twice
consecutively in the same river; but, after a long draught in the
Settite, they would march from twenty-five to thirty miles, and
remain for a day between that river and the Mareb or Gash, to
which they would hurry on the following night.
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