XX ELEPHANT WOUNDED 443 



natives had managed to harpoon a tat hippopotamus, 

 and from my camp 1 could hear them singing and 

 dancing as they feasted the whole night through. 

 During this journey I shot one elephant, a young 

 bull, that I found standing by himself in a bed ot 

 reeds, and wounded another. This latter was one 

 of a herd that I hearci screaming and drinking in 

 the river about two miles from my camp. As it 

 was a tolerably clear moonlight night, 1 resolved to 

 have a shot at one, for in my weak state I knew 

 that I stood but little chance of coming up with 

 them the following day. On my way towards the 

 elephants I came across a herd of giraffes ; they 

 allowed me to approach quite close to them in the 

 moonlight before they became alarmed. I also saw 

 three animals trot away from me, that were either 

 lions or hyasnas. At last I got up to the elephants, 

 having had to wade through two deep lagoons before 

 doing so. The animals were then feeding in a 

 small patch of bush, crashing down small trees and 

 breaking off branches in all directions. 1 got close 

 up to one that was feeding just outside the bush, 

 and fired tor behind her shoulder with my large 

 single rifle. Although there was a very good moon, 

 1 could not see the sights at all, but, as I was so 

 near, felt certain I should kill her. I did not do so, 

 however, nor could I find any traces of blood when 

 I came back the following morning. One night, 

 as 1 was returning to the waggons, we slept at the 

 last hole of water in the bed of the Sunta, which we 

 did not reach until just dusk. We were all of us 

 fagged out, having made a long march in the intense 

 heat, so my Kafirs made no skerm, and, it being so 

 hot, collected very little firewood. Soon after dark 

 I heard a troop ot lions roar in the distance ; 



