SEARCH FOR ELEPHANTS. 287 



thankful to have succeeded in bringing all my wretch- 

 ed cattle alive to a fountain where they could drink 

 their fill. While breakfasting, three of Sicomy's men 

 approached, leading my greyhound Flam ; they said 

 that they were sent by Sicomy, who, on hearing that 

 she was missing, had at once issued orders for her 

 recovery. 



In the afternoon we inspanhed, and marched to the 

 scene of the fall of my first elephant, where we halted 

 for the night. On reaching Massouey I commenced ex- 

 amining the elephants' foot-paths on the side on which 

 were my strongest hopes. I had almost made the cir- 

 cuit of the fountain, and hope had died within me, 

 when, lo ! broad and long, and fresh as fresh could be, 

 the enormous spoor of two mighty bull elephants which 

 had drunk there during the night. This was glorious ! 

 I had great faith in the spooring powers of the Ba- 

 mangwato men, and I felt certain that at length the 

 day had arrived on which I was to kill my first bull 

 elephant. The Bechuanas at once took up the spoor, 

 and went ahead in a masterly manner, and with buoy- 

 ant spirits I followed in their steps. The spoor led 

 about due west, a direction in which I had not yet 

 been. Having followed it for many miles through this 

 desert country, we reached a district where the bushes, 

 to whose berries Knop-kop was so partial, grew in great 

 abundance; and here the elephants had commenced to 

 feed upon their roots, plowing up the sand extensively 

 with their tusks. We now entered upon ground much 

 frequented by elephants, their traces, of various dates, 

 extending on all sides, crossmg and recrossing one an- 

 other in every direction ; and by this means we event- 

 ually lost the spoor. After a fruitless search of several 

 hours, and many vain endeavors to retrieve the day by 



