MY FIRST ELEPHANT AND ANOTHER. 39 



of elephants, and they soon returned and said they had seen the spoor of four. 

 I soon got on the tracks and followed them until one o'clock. The bull had now 

 separated from the herd, so I took his spoor, which led into an unburnt dambo 

 with grass about ten feet high. 



I made men climb trees, and I got on any ant-hill I could find to look round. 

 At last I sighted him standing in the grass, so made a detour to get the wind 

 right. I then began to approach him, and seeing what I thought was a convenient 

 ant-hill, I made for it ; but when I got to within a few yards I found that it was 

 the elephant itself. I knew there was an ant-hill close to him, for I had seen 

 it when I first sighted the animal, so I looked round for it, but it was invisible. 

 I had one man with me, but I did not like to talk to him, for we were only about 

 ten paces from the elephant's stern, so I began to circle round him and at last 

 saw the ant-hill. Getting it between the elephant and myself, I began to crawl 

 up the sloping sides. The elephant was still tranquilly sleeping, with his ears 

 slowly flapping. 



I was just getting the foresight nicely on his earhole when the man behind 

 me, in his eagerness to see the result, trod on a reed which cracked. The next 

 moment the elephant wheeled, and I could not stay the shot, but, instead of 

 hitting him in the ear, the bullet went into his side. He then rushed off, and 

 I tried two shots at his backbone, but with no result, although I heard the 

 bullets hit him. This, to say the least, was very disappointing, for he had tusks 

 over 4olb. each. 



I used some very fluent language to my man, but of course that did not 

 mend matters. He lost me the elephant, for I feel sure I would have dropped 

 him, as I had a perfect chance at about twenty yards. 



I trudged back to camp in a very bad temper, for I had had a long tramp 

 all for nothing, and, worse still, had wounded and caused pain to a fine animal. 



Next day I had men out again looking for fresh tracks, but they came back with 

 bad news. Going out after buck, I shot a hartebeest bull, and later on I saw a sable, 

 which I could not get a shot at, as he cleared. 



In the evening I went out again and saw reedbuck, warthog, and duiker, but did 

 not fire at them. 



I was up eariy next morning, and, instead of sending men out first, went out 

 myself, but could not find any fresh spoor of elephants, although I saw a quantity 

 of game, including eland, roan, hartebeest, warthog, reedbuck, oribi, etc. I fired at a 

 warthog and wounded her, for it was a sow. On going up to her she tried to come for 

 me, so I killed her with another bullet. 



