42 IN BRIGHTEST AFRICA 
you hunt elephants in the forest, you are quite likely 
to find that two can play the hunting game, and find 
yourself pretty actively hunted by the elephants. If 
the elephants after you are making a noise, it gives you 
a good chance. When they silently wait for you, the 
game is much more dangerous. 
The old bull, who is in the centre of the elephant 
group in the Museum of Natural History now, tried 
to get me by this silent method. I was out on a trail 
and I saw that a big bunch of animals were near. I 
wasn’t following any particular trail for they had 
moved about so that signs were everywhere and much 
confused. Finally I came to a gully. It wasn’t 
very broad or very deep, but the trail I was on turned 
up it to where a crossing could be made on the level. 
The forest here was high and very thick, and conse- 
quently it was quite dark. As J looked up the trail I 
saw a group of big shapes through the branches. I 
thought they were elephants and peered carefully at 
them, but they turned out to be boulders. A minute 
later I saw across the gully another similar group of 
boulders, but as I peered at them I saw through a 
little opening in the leaves, plain and unmistakable, 
an elephant’s tusk. I watched it carefully. It 
moved alittle, and behind it I caught a glimpse of the 
other tusk. They were big, and I decided that he 
would do for my group. I couldn’t get a glimpse of 
his eye or anything to sight by, so I carefully calcu- 
lated where his brain ought to be from the place where 
his tusk entered his head, and fired. Then there was 
the riot of an elephant herd suddenly starting. A few 
