832 THRILLING ADVENTURES. 



of abrupt windings through a most impracticable country, 

 intersected by a succession of rocky declivities. From the 

 highest peaks we saw several herds of buffaloes, and whilst 

 descending came upon the tracks of a huge elephant that had 

 passed about an hour before. This being the largest foot- 

 print we had seen, I had the curiosity to measure it, in order 

 to ascertain the animal's height twice the circumference of 

 the elephant's foot being, it is notorious, the exact height at 

 the shoulder. It yielded a product of about twelve feet, 

 which, notwithstanding the traditions that have been handed 

 down, I believe to be the maximum height attained by the 

 African elephant. 



"We followed the trail across the Saut river, which had now 

 considerably subsided, and finding that it had proceeded east- 

 ward along the mountain-chain, returning to our encampment 

 for horses and ammunition. Leaving the wagon to proceed 

 to a spot agreed upon, we again took the field about ten o'clock, 

 and pursued the track indefatigably for eight miles over a 

 country presenting every variety of feature. At one time we 

 crossed bare stony ridges, at another threaded the intricacies 

 of shaggy but dilapidated forests ; now struggling through 

 high fields of waving grass, and again emerging into open 

 downs. At length we arrived among extensive groups of 

 grassy hillocks, covered with loose stones, interspersed with 

 streams and occasional patches of forest, in which the recent 

 ravages of elephants were surprising. Here to our inexpress- 

 ible gratification, we descried a large herd of those long- 

 sought animals, lazily browsing at the head of a distant val- 

 ley ; our attention having been first directed to it by the 

 strong and not to be mistaken effluvia with which the wind 

 was impregnated. Never having before seen the elephant 

 in his native jungles, we gazed at the sight before us with 

 intense and indescribable interest. Our feelings on the occa- 

 sion even extended to our followers. As for Andries, he be- 

 came so agitated that he could scarcely articulate. With 



