40 THROUGH GASA LAND. 



choose to exercise, so great was the altitude of the 

 elephants above us. Only those who have been 

 accustomed to hunt this ponderous animal in a 

 mountainous country have any idea what splendid 

 climbers they are. The ascent that our game was 

 now making would have been almost a stopper to 

 an Iceland pony. Still it did not seem materially 

 to retard their progress. At length the leader got 

 over the crest and disappeared ; in succession the 

 others did likewise, until the turn of the last arrived. 

 This beast was a veteran, a veritable grandfather, I 

 should say, and was possessed of splendid ivories 

 which fairly glinted in the declining sunlight. If I 

 could get the consent of my companions, I resolved 

 to become the possessor of those tusks, for they 

 were fit trophies to adorn the palace of a king. I 

 am able thus early to describe him so accurately, for 

 when he reached the crest of the hill for some 

 minutes he stood motionless, reflected against the 

 sky and gazing into the valley beneath, as if he 

 regretted leaving a country that possessed for him 

 many cherished memories. 



This was an anxious moment for us all, for we 

 could not be over two hundred yards from the giant 

 beast ; however, all understood their work, both 

 natives and white men, so in an instant each and 

 every one was as perfectly out of sight as Rhoderick 

 Dhu's henchmen. Slowly, and evidently with reluc- 

 tance, the mammoth turned away, and by degrees 



