THE ELEPHANT OF AFRICA. 131 



yroot ! ' or, as one of them translated it, ( a 

 hugeous terrible fellow, plenty, plenty big ! ' 



" The Elephant at first did not seem to notice 

 us, for the vision of the animal is not very acute, 

 and the wind being pretty brisk, and we to the 

 leeward of him, his scent and hearing, though 

 keen, had not apprised him of our approach. 

 But when we turned off at a gallop, making a circuit 

 through the bushes to avoid collision with him, 

 he was startled by the sound of our horses' feet, 

 and turned towards us with a very menacing atti- 

 tude, erecting his enormous ears, and elevating 

 his trunk in the air, as if about to rush upon us. 

 Had he done so, some of us would probably have 

 been destroyed ; for the Elephant can run down 

 a well mounted horseman in a short chase ; and, 

 besides, there was another ugly defile but a little 

 way before us, where the only passage was a diffi- 

 cult pass through the jungle, with a precipice on 

 one side, and a wooded mountain on the other. 

 However, the * gruwzaam karl' fortunately, did 

 not think proper to give chase, but remained on 

 the same spot, looking steadfastly after us ; well 

 pleased, no doubt, to be rid of our company, and 

 satisfied to see his family all safe around him. The 

 latter consisted of two or three females, and as many 

 young ones, that had hastily crowded up behind 

 him from the river margin, as if to claim his pro- 

 tection, when the rushing sound of our cavalcade 

 startled their quiet valley*" 



