BILL 139 
proach to within a distance from which I might have 
dropped him in his tracks. But at this point I was so 
exhausted that I took a final shot at him from where 
I stood, seventy-five yards away. He went down, 
but got to his feet again and went into the bush. The 
boys helped me back intocamp. I felt perfectly cer- 
tain that we would find him dead in the morning. The 
whole thing had been stupid and unsportsmanlike. 
The next morning, with a few of the boys, I went 
back and took up his trail; but much to my disap- 
pointment and surprise I found that he and his com- 
panion had kept right on into the forest and were 
apparently going strong. I knew that he was mor- 
tally wounded, and it was necessary that he should 
be followed and finished off. It was too big a job 
for me in my condition, so it was up to Bill. I gave 
Bill one of my gun-bearers and each of them a heavy 
.470 cordite rifle, with instructions to stick to the trail 
until they found the elephant. They were not to 
shoot except in emergency. When the elephant was 
found, one of them was to remain with it while the 
other came back to report. 
I went back to camp and waited. The boys had 
no supply of food with them and I had no idea but 
that they would be back in camp before night, but 
it was not until midnight of the second day that Bill 
came to my tent, awakened me, and told his story. 
They had followed the elephant without ever coming 
up with him except that at one time they heard him 
ahead of them; and they had finally decided it was 
best to come back to get food and instructions. Bill 
