252 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



bulk of a charging bull elephant, the matted mass of tough 

 creepers snapping like packthread before his rush. He was 

 so close that he could have touched me with his trunk. 

 I leaped to one side and dodged behind a tree trunk, 

 opening the rifle, throwing out the empty shells, and slipping 

 in two cartridges. Meanwhile Cuninghame fired right and 

 left, at the same time throwing himself into the bushes on 

 the other side. Both his bullets went home, and the bull 

 stopped short in his charge, wheeled, and immediately 

 disappeared in the thick cover. We ran forward, but the 

 forest had closed over his wake. We heard him trumpet 

 shrilly, and then all sounds ceased. 



The 'Ndorobo, who had quite properly disappeared 

 when this second bull charged, now went forward and soon 

 returned with the report that he had fled at speed, but was 

 evidently hard hit, as there was much blood on the spoor. 

 If we had been only after ivory we should have followed 

 him at once; but there was no telling how long a chase he 

 might lead us; and as we desired to save the skin of the 

 dead elephant entire, there was no time whatever to spare. 

 It is a formidable task, occupying many days, to preserve 

 an elephant for mounting in a museum, and if the skin is 

 to be properly saved, it must be taken off without an hour's 

 nnecessary delay. 



o back we turned to where the dead tusker lay, and I 

 felt proud indeed as I stood by the immense bulk of the 

 slain monster and put my hand on the ivory. The tusks 

 weighed a hundred and thirty pounds the pair. There 

 was the usual scene of joyful excitement among the gun- 

 bearers who had behaved excellently and among the 

 wild bush people who had done the tracking for us; and, as 



