322 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



ceding day. This spoor led us in a southeasterly course, 

 first through verdant forest, and then over an extreme- 

 ly rugged ridge that stretched into the forest from the 

 mountain chain. Beyond this ridge was an extensive 

 and almost impracticable jungle of wait-a-bit thorns, 

 and in tliis jungle we now heard the rumbling sound 

 of elephants. As we advanced, I perceived from the 

 nature of the ground that success was very doubtful, 

 and in a few minutes the dogs, winding the elephants, 

 ran in upon them and gave tongue ; a crashing and 

 trumpeting ensued, and all the natives shouted out 

 "Machoa" (signifying white man). With the utmost 

 difficulty I pressed through the jungle, and obtained a 

 view of one of the elephants, around which my dogs 

 were barking angrily ; but perceiving that it was a 

 small cow, and knowing well that if I shot her the na- 

 tives would not take up spoor again for at least a couple 

 of days, I reserved my fire ; and the dogs being jaded 

 by the sun, and returning to my call, we left the ele- 

 phants to their own devices. 



A few minutes afterward we discovered the fresh 

 spoor of two enormous bull elephants, which had pas- 

 tured toward the hills. Having followed it a short dis- 

 tance, we came upon some dung, the outside of which 

 the sun had not yet dried, from which we might pre- 

 sume that the elephants were at that moment in the 

 same valley Vv4th ourselves. Two young men were 

 dispatched in haste to ascend the beetling crags of the 

 adjacent mountain, from which they could obtain a 

 bird's-eye view of the length and breadth of that and 

 the surrounding valleys. The main body of the natives 

 squatted on the ground, and I sat down to eat some 

 bread and elephant, and take a drinlc of water. I had 

 scarcely time to finish my luncheon Vvhen the two young 



