CHAPTER IV 



Eland shot — My First Elephant — " Cigar's " Skill in hunting Elephants 

 — Abundance of Game — Successful Bags — Drought— Rain — Hard- 

 ship — Maiming Elephants — Stabbing from Trees — A Murtler and 

 Execution — " Bill " and the Crocodile. 



On the first day of our hastily organised venture, we 

 shot a magnificent old eland bull ; and made a most 

 excellent dinner on slices of fat meat from his breast, 

 and a potful of boiled Kafir corn. Whilst our repast 

 was preparing, Cigar whiled away the time with many 

 a story about his elephant-hunting experiences, which 

 he described most graphically. In South Central 

 Africa, at the hunter's camp fire, the elephant takes 

 the place of the grisly " bar " in North America, or 

 the chamois in the chalets of the Alps in Europe ; 

 and there are more yarns spun concerning him than 

 about any other animal. As soon as supper was over, 

 I stretched myself on my bed of dry grass, and, rather 

 tired with my first day's tramp, soon fell asleep. On 

 the following morning we were up before the sun, 

 and, travelling in a northerly direction, soon became 

 aware that we were in a district frequented by 

 elephants, for wherever we looked, trees were broken 

 down, large branches snapped off, and bark and 

 leaves strewn about in all directions, whilst the 

 impress of their huge feet was to be seen in every 

 piece of sandy ground. 



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