THE IRREPRESSIBLE. 67 



doubt, would soon occur, as both had natives with 

 them, and the reflection of the fire in the heavens 

 would attract their attention. 



The forethought of my " boys " had provided 

 me with a meal, for they had brought with them, 

 from my victim, the large, steak-like piece of meat 

 to be obtained in the head of elephants, close to the 

 eye, and is found between the skull and skin. It is 

 considered by some a delicacy, and is certainly the 

 tit-bit of all parts of these giant carcasses, but, in my 

 humble opinion, to use a hackneyed expression, 

 " bad is the best." I have tried both the foot and 

 trunk baked ; if you have no other food, it doubt- 

 lessly will satisfy hunger, but, using an Americanism, 

 " I don't hanker after either." Possibly I may be 

 fastidious, for I have heard many a hunter boast of 

 them as fit to feast the gods upon. When such has 

 been the case, I invariably concluded that his praise 

 of elephant's flesh was made to tantalise the palates 

 of those who had never tasted it, or had no prospect 

 of doing so in the most remote future. 



It must have been at least three hours after 

 " gloamin " when Dillon came in ; the " irrepressible 

 one " appeared as fresh as paint, and was in excellent 

 spirits, for he had killed two fine tuskers and 

 seriously wounded a third, which he was most 

 sanguine to obtain next morning. From his de- 

 scription of the day's operations, he had easy work 

 throughout, no particularly dangerous animals to 



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