414 HUNTING ADVENTURES. 



imprinted on the ground on every side, and we presently saw a 

 large herd of these, standing scattered, through the forest to our left. 

 They were glorious fellows, but I was now in pursuit of nobler game : 

 the natives were leading me to some distant fountain, where they 

 expected we should discover spoor. 



On we sped through the depths of the forest, our view being con- 

 fined to about fifty yards on every side. Presently emerging upon 

 n 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 were a troop of bull elephants had pastured not 

 many hours before. Here the thorny trees on every side were de- 

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

 uprooted, and lay scattered across our path, having been carried seve- 

 ral yards in the trunks of the elephants before they stood to eat the 

 leaves : the ground also was here and there ploughed 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 beautifully visible. 



All this was extremely interesting and gratifying; but I had been 

 BO often disappointed, and it was now so very near sunset, that I en- 

 tertained 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 muskets 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 ex- 

 tremely excited, and told me that we were near the elephants. A 



