CH. XI AN UNKIND FATE 205 



an instinctive aversion to the smell of man, and I 

 felt that the merest whiff would make them run like 

 the most experienced of their kind. The bush was 

 frightfully thick, just as bad as that on the smaller 

 island, with, however, here and there open places in 

 which grew only a few camel-thorn trees (^Acacia 

 giraffcf) ; but I thought that if 1 could only get 

 well up to them I should be able to make sure of 

 one, which was as much as I hoped for. After 

 following several blind leads, taking the spoor of 

 single elephants that had gone away feeding a short 

 distance and then rejoined the herd, my Bushman 

 suddenly gave a start and became rigid, with one 

 arm pointing forwards, and there was little need to 

 ask him what he saw. The elephants were about 

 100 yards to our right, on the edge of a good- 

 sized opening, across which they had just walked. 

 They were then standing still, four of them being 

 quite outside the bush under a tree, off which one 

 of them had just broken a large branch, so as the 

 more easily to get at the tender shoots, from which 

 the leaves were sprouting. One of these was a fine 

 full-grown bull, with perfect tusks, which, though 

 short, were very thick. They were standing most 

 unfortunately as regarded the wind, and I feared 

 they would scent us every instant. 1 would have 

 retired and gone round them, but momentarily 

 expected a puff of air, and so thought it better to 

 try and get up to them without delay. Therefore, 

 taking my gun, I at once advanced towards them 

 across the open, trusting that they were too pre- 

 occupied to notice me. But an unkind fate was 

 against me ; even as I started I felt a puff of wind 

 from behind, and simultaneously saw the trunks of 

 the elephants slightly raised to catch the taint. It 



