2 14 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



as after this they had not again loitered, it was already 

 late in the afternoon when we at last caught sight of 

 them, and we had trudged over many a weary mile 

 of deep sand since leaving the river. Though the 

 sun was still intensely hot, I came up with them in 

 an immense opening in the forest, devoid of any 

 covert whatever, except that afforded by a few leafless 

 mopani trees, scattered here and there, and some 

 wretched little thorn bushes of the wait-a-bit variety, 

 only three or four feet high. 



When I caught sight of the herd they were at 

 least a mile off, and advancing slowly in dense black, 

 masses, and after accurately ascertaining how the 

 wind was by letting fall a handful of fine sand, I 

 deemed it advisable to attack them from the other 

 side. This was one of the largest herds of elephants 

 I had ever seen ; I am afraid to say how many of 

 them there were, but I think there must have been 

 from loo to 200 at least. Excepting a few young 

 bulls, easily distinguishable from their superior size, 

 they were all cows and young animals. To my left 

 I could see one fine young bull, with long white 

 tusks, standing with some others round the stem of 

 a solitary mopani tree, but to get at him I must 

 have passed close to a lot of cows, across ground as 

 bare as a board ; so, resolving to keep an eye on him, 

 I turned my attention to a cow with long perfect 

 ivory, that was directly facing me. 



About fifty yards from her were two or three 

 slender mopani bushes, not sufficient to cover a rat, 

 but it was all there was ; so, holding my gun before 

 me with both hands, ready to be raised at a moment's 

 notice, and crouching forwards, I advanced quickly. 

 I was still some ten yards from the bush, when she 

 saw me through it, and at once raised her head. 



