A Bad Rogue. 93 



crept carefully from tree to tree along the edge of the 

 forest for about a quarter of a mile, until I arrived at 

 the very spot at which he had made his exit from the 

 jungle. 



I was now within eighty yards of him as he stood with 

 his head toward the lake, and his hind-quarters exactly 

 facing me. His deep tracks in the mud were about five 

 feet apart, so great was his stride and length of limb, 

 and, although the soft bog was at least three and a half 

 feet deep, his belly was full two feet above the surface. 

 He was a fine fellow, and, with intense caution, I 

 advanced toward him over the trembling surface of 

 baked slime. His tracks had nearly filled with water, 

 and looked like little wells. The bog waved as I 

 walked carefully over it, and I stopped once or twice, * 

 hesitating whether I should continue : I feared the 

 crusty surface would not support me, as the nearer I 

 approached the water's edge the weaker the coating 

 of slime became, not having been exposed for so long 

 a time to the sun as that at a greater distance. 



He was making so much noise in splashing the mud 

 over his body that I had a fine chance for getting up to 

 him. I could not stand the temptation, and I crept up 

 as fast as I could. 



I got within eight paces of him unperceived ; the 

 mud that he threw over his back spattered round me as 

 it fell. 1 was carrying a light double-barreled gun, but 

 I now reached back my hand to exchange it for my 

 four-ounce rifle. Little did I expect the sudden effect 

 produced by the additional weight of the heavy weapon. 

 The treacherous surface suddenly gave way, and in an 

 instant I was waist deep in mud. The noise that I had 

 made in falling had at once aroused the elephant, and, 



