A FURIOUS CONFLICT. 81 



my assistance. The conflict now became fast and furi- 

 ous ; I had very pleasant work with this fine old ele- 

 phant. My horse behaved very well, and the elephant's 

 fury and attention were chiefly directed toward the dogs, 

 who stuck well to him ; but he was by far the toughest 

 elephant to finish that I have ever engaged with. I gave 

 him thirty-five balls, all about and behind his shoulder, 

 and discharged at distances varying from fifteen to 

 thirty-five yards, before he would halt and die. At 

 length he reduced his pace to a very slow walk ; blood 

 flowed from his trunk and all his wounds, leaving the 

 ground behind him a mass of gore; his frame shudder- 

 ed violently, his mouth opened and shut, his lips quiv- 

 ered, his eyes were filled with tears; he halted beside 

 a thorny tree, and, having turned right about, he rock- 

 ed forward and backward for a few seconds, and, falling 

 heavily over, his ancient spirit fled. The natives now 

 came up, and, having promised to go on the spoor of 

 my horse Dreadnaught, I returned to Massouey, hav- 

 ing off-saddled for an hour. 



No elephants having drank at the fount for some 

 days, on the 5th I resolved to leave my favorite Mas- 

 souey. I accordingly marched about 1 P.M. I passed 

 Corriebely an hour before dark : there was water enough 

 for the horses. Here I met Mutchuisho with a large 

 party of Bcchuanas, sent by Sicomy to endeavor to make 

 me come and trade with him. I halted for an hour 

 after sunset, and then inspanned and trekked on till 

 the moon went down, when I halted near my old out- 

 spanning-place, having performed a very long and dif- 

 ficult march. 



On the 6th, a very cold morning, we trekked at dawn 

 of day, and in about three hours reached Lesausau, a 

 bold and romantic gorge in the Bamangwato Mount- 



D2 



