172 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



foot of a large baobab tree, to be picked up on my 

 return, continued my journey westwards along the 

 river. About mid-day I met some of Captain Garden's 

 boys carrying four bull tusks ; Captain G. himself I 

 did not see, as he had taken a round in the sand-belt 

 in the hope of cutting fresh elephant spoor. His boys 

 informed me that there was no bush along the river's 

 edge farther on, and no elephant spoor, and that their 

 master had only met with one troop of bulls since 

 parting trom his brother, when he with Henry 

 Wall had shot two of them. They were now on 

 their return down the river to Mr. G.'s camp at 

 Pookoo Flats. In spite of this discouraging news, I 

 determined to follow the course of the river for another 

 day or two at least, and so continued my journey. 

 All that day (Tuesday) and the following I trudged 

 along, but saw not a sign of elephants ; but about 

 lo A.M. on Thursday morning, I cut the fresh spoor 

 of a troop of cows that seemed to have drunk late in 

 the night. Filling the calabashes with water, I at once 

 started on their spoor. They had been feeding 

 about nicely, and digging up roots in all directions, 

 and at mid-day it became evident that I was not far 

 behind them. Just then a black rhinoceros, that 

 was sleeping a little to one side of the elephant spoor, 

 got our wind, and jumping up came tearing close 

 past in front of us, snorting like a steam engine. 

 A little farther on, and when we must have been 

 within a few hundred yards of them, the elephants 

 also winded us and ran. We at once commenced to 

 run on the spoor, at a steady jog-trot, and in a 

 quarter of an hour or so had the satisfaction of 

 seeing a small calf pegging along in front of us. 

 On approaching the little beast, it put on a spurt 

 and began screaming lustily. This, I think, must 



