TREED BY AN ELEPHANT 239 



overs from antediluvian days marching ma- 

 jestically toward us in one solid, unbroken mass, 

 their great ears waving back and forth as they 

 calmly fanned themselves. They were continu- 

 ally tearing up bunches of grass and tossing 

 them upon or over their backs; the totos young 

 ones strolled along by the side of their mothers, 

 who frequently reached out their trunks and 

 appeared to fondle their offspring. 



"How I yearned for my rifle, for there were 

 many big tuskers in the herd. Several of them 

 were within range and from my elevated posi- 

 tion there was a fine opportunity to bowl one 

 over. 



"Some of the animals walked right under my 

 tree and I held my breath lest they should look 

 up and discover me. Probably a third of the 

 herd had passed when several of them lifted 

 their trunks and waved them in the air; they 

 had caught our scent. 



"One began to trumpet, and the others 

 quickly took up the alarm. Suddenly every 

 elephant in the herd seemed to have lost its 

 head, for they raced backward and forward 

 quite panic-stricken. In one wild dash the 

 advance-guard suddenly wheeled around and 



