chap. ix. AWKWARD GROUND. 217 



impracticable ; we were thus compelled to turn our 

 backs upon the game, and return towards our rocky 

 home. Tired, more from our want of success than 

 from the day's work, we strolled leisurely along, and 

 we were talking of the best plan to be adopted for the 

 next day's work, when I suddenly observed a herd of 

 eight elephants going up the side of a small hill at 

 their best pace within 200 yards of us. They had just 

 quitted a small jungle at the bottom of a ravine, 

 and they had been alarmed by our approach. 



Off we started in pursuit, down the rugged side of 

 the hill we were descending, and up the opposite hill, 

 upon the elephants' tracks, as hard as we could run. 

 Just as we reached the top of the hill, the elephants 

 were entering a small jungle on the other side. My 

 brother got a shot, and killed the last of the herd ; in 

 another moment they had disappeared. It had been 

 a sharp burst up the steep hill, and we stopped to 

 breathe, but we were almost immediately in pursuit 

 again, as we saw the herd emerge from the jungle at 

 the base of the hill, and plough their way through a 

 vast field of high lemon grass. 



Upon arriving on their tracks, they had fairly dis- 

 tanced us. The grass, which was as thick as a hedge, 

 was trodden into lanes by the elephants, and upon 

 either side it stood like a wall ten or twelve feet high. 

 Upon these tracks we ran along for some time, until it 



became dusk. We halted, and were consulting as to 



Q 2 



