336 HUNTING ADVENTURES. 



Upon a small open glade, I observed a herd of brindled gnoos and 

 two or three troops of pallahs ; and soon after, a second herd of 

 about fifteen camelopards stood browsing before us, and, getting 

 our wind, dashed away to our left^ We had proceeded about two 

 miles further, and it was now within two hours of sunset, when, 

 lo ! a thorny tree, newly smashed by an elephant. Some of the 

 natives attentively examined the leaves of the broken branches to 

 ascertain exactly when he had been there, while some for the 

 same purpose overhauled the spoor. It was the spoor of a first- 

 rate bull: he had fed there that morning at the dawn of day 

 The ground was hard and bad for spooring, but the natives 

 evinced great skill, and, following it for a short distance, we came 

 to ground where a troop of bull elephants had pastured not many 

 hours before. Here the thorny trees on every side were demo 

 lished by them, and huge branches and entire trees were rent and 

 uprooted, and Jay scattered across our path, having been carried 

 several yards in the trunks of the elephants before they stood to 

 eat the leaves : the ground also was here and there plowed up by 

 their tusks in quest of roots ; and in these places the enormous 

 fresh spoor that thrilling sight to a hunter's eye was beauti- 

 fully visible. 



All this was extremely interesting and gratifying ; but I had 

 Jbeen so often disappointed, and it was now so very near sunset, 

 that I entertained but faint hopes of finding them that evening. 

 Mutchuisho was very anxious that I should see the elephants ; he 

 had divested himself of his kaross, and, carrying one of the mus- 

 kets which Sicomy had bought from me, he led the spooring 

 party, consisting of about fifteen cunning old hands. The great 

 body of the men he had ordered to sit down and remain quiet 

 until the attack commenced. Having followed the spoor for a 

 short distance, old Mutchuisho became extremely excited, and 

 told <ne that we were close to the elephants. A few minutes after 

 several of the spoorers affirmed that they had heard the elephants 

 break a tree in advance ; they differed, however, about the direc- 

 tion, some saying it was in front, and others that it was away to 

 our left. Two or three men quickly ascended the tallest tree* 



