IMMENSE HERD OF ELEPHANTS. 171 



natives pressing me to halt and hunt, I outspanned and 

 got every thing ready for a trip from the wagons. 



The next morning I smarted with a party of natives 

 to seek elephants. We held along the banks of the 

 Lotsane for several miles, holding a northwesterly 

 course ; after which we left the river and held south- 

 west ; and at last followed down to the Limpopo, and 

 so home to camp, without finding a single fresh spoor. 

 Here I found my old friends from Bamangwato, Moll- 

 yeon and Kapain, with a party. I was glad to see 

 these men, as I knew they would assist me in my hunt- 

 ing, and they could also converse with me. 



On the 10th, at dawn of day, I rode down the river, 

 and ordered my wagons to follow. I found sea-cows 

 more and more abundant ; every pool had its herd : the 

 margin of the river on each side was trampled down by 

 elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, &c. Having ridden 

 about six miles, I found the fresh spoor of a troop of 

 bull elephants. I off-saddled, and in an hour the wag- 

 ons came up, when I took up the spoor, accompanied 

 by Carey, Hendric, and Ruyter. After following the 

 spoor for some miles, the natives lost it. A little dis- 

 tance ahead of us was a rocky hill, to the summit of 

 which I ascended. This spot commanded a good view 

 of the adjacent forest. I at once detected an immense 

 herd of elephants. They were drinking in a wide open 

 spot on a gravelly-bedded river which falls into the 

 Limpopo, called by the natives Suking. 



We then made a turn to leeward and came in upon 

 this fine herd ; it was the largest I had ever seen ; tiiere 

 must have been upward of one hundred elephants be- 

 fore my eye at once. The troop consisted chiefly of 

 cov/s and calves ; I, however, detected one fine, well- 

 grown bull, carrying very fair tusks. I rode slowly 

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