22 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



late that, even if I had already commenced the attack, 

 the chances were that before I could finish one the night 

 would have set in. It is much easier to hold the spoor 

 of a herd of elephants that have been alarmed than to 

 follow those which have been undisturbed, since the for- 

 mer adopt a decided course, and follow one another in a 

 direct line. Thus we were enabled to hold the spoor at a 

 gallop without a check until our horses began to evince 

 distress ; and, despairing of success, I was just going to 

 pull up, when I heard Johannus exclaim, "Sir, sir, dar 

 stand ilia," and, looking before me, I beheld five enor- 

 mous old bull elephants walking slowly along. They 

 seemed heated by the pace at which they had retreat- 

 ed, and were now refreshing themselves with large vol- 

 umes of water, which nature enables them to discharge 

 from their capacious stomachs, and shower back upon 

 their bodies with their extraordinary trunks. I over- 

 took these elephants in open ground, which enabled me 

 at once to make a fine selection. I had never before 

 obtained so satisfactory a view of a herd of bulls : they 

 really looked wondrous vast. It is a heart-stirring sight 

 to behold one bull elephant ; but when five gigantic old 

 fellows are walking slowly along before you, and you 

 feel that you can ride up and vanquish whichever one 

 you fancy, it is so overpoweringly exciting that it al- 

 most takes a man's breath away ; but it was now too 

 late in the day to part with my breath for a single mo- 

 ment. Johannus whispered to me to wait a little, to 

 allow the horses to recover their wind ; but Wolf dash- 

 ing in upon them, I was obliged to follow to obtain an 

 accurate selection of the tusks. Spurring my horse, 

 in another moment I was in the middle of them, closely 

 followed by Johannus ; and in a twinkling the finest 

 bull had received the contents of the Moore and Pur- 



