THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



streams, up among the bamboo at more than 9,000 feet 

 altitude, only to have to come down again into the valley 

 below, until on the fifth day we saw from the appearance 

 of the tracks and the untouched trees along his path that 

 we would have to abandon the pursuit, the elephant outdis- 

 tancing us more and more. 



Another time we found fresh tracks of a very large 

 single elephant on the western slopes of the Gojito Moun- 

 tains, which we at once followed. From the amount of 

 recently broken twigs and branches, and from the looks 

 of the grass and flowers, trodden down by the big feet, 

 we understood that the elephant had passed only about 

 one hour ahead of us, and that he was moving along slowly. 

 Therefore, after finding that the wind was " right," we 

 pursued our prey as quickly as possible. The grass in the 

 open places between the bushes and trees was fully twelve 

 to fifteen feet high, so that it was impossible to see more 

 than a few yards ahead, and I, therefore, sent a man up 

 into a large tree along the track to reconnoiter. Quick as 

 a squirrel he climbed up half the length of the tree and 

 looked around. In another second he was down again, re- 

 porting a large bull elephant with big tusks " very near," 

 which in the native language may mean anything from 

 fifty to five hundred yards ! 



I saw a few paces in front of me a small single rock, 

 and, climbing upon the same, got a good view of the mon- 

 strous pachyderm just as he swung around and began to 

 return the same way he had come, at about two hundred 

 yards' distance. As quickly as I could raise the big gun to 

 my shoulder, I fired for his back, the only thing that showed 

 above the grass. A few angry trumpetings announced that 



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