184 WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR. 
hanous fall upon our heads; for in that case you would 
never have heard from me again. Malaouen knew exact- 
ly where these pits were. 
We were going through the forest with the greatest — 
care, thinking that we might meet gorillas, among which 
might be one of those lone fierce males. 
Suddenly we heard a noise in the distance. We list- 
ened. What could it be? Malaouen’s quick ear soon 
detected that an elephant had been caught either by a 
hanou, or that he had fallen into the pit. We listened, . 
to make sure of the direction the noise came from. We 
looked most carefully at our guns; to make sure that we 
could fully depend upon them, and then set out for the 
place where we suspected the huge beast was lying pros- 
trate. 
As we approached the spot, the moans of the elephant 
became louder and louder, and we at last fell into its track, 
which we followed, our direction being thus clearly indi- 
cated. At length wecame to the pit. How careful we 
were in approaching it, and what a sight met our eyes! 
I came trembling on its brink, for fear that the earth 
would give way and precipitate me into the pit where 
the poor elephant was. Whata sight met my eyes as I 
looked down! ‘The bottom of the pit was filled with a 
black mass, which I recognized to be an elephant; the 
earth around was saturated with its blood. The poor 
creature was not dead. In its fall its ponderous weight 
had broken its four legs, and one of its magnificent tusks 
had been dashed to pieces; its head was all bleeding, and 
its trunk now and then moved up and down. The ago- 
nies of the poor creature were great. I was glad that we 
had come to end the sufferings of the poor beast. 
