170 HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 



" Yes, for the first at least ; and I am at your orders." 



At this instant we heard a distant trumpeting. 



"Here comes the substitute for the wounded elephant," 

 said Thursday. 



" Are you sure ? " 



"Look!" 



A hundred yards away a black mass bent aside the 

 tall plants and young trees in its way, disdaining to 

 uproot them. It was really an elephant ; and although 

 at first I could hardly believe he came in place of his 

 wounded companion, I saw from his reception that he 

 was an old acquaintance, and, after greetings like those 

 I have before mentioned, he went quietly to his station 

 " on guard." The lesson, however, had been learned, and 

 the elephants tried no further assault on our citadel. 



At the foot of our tree, exactly under us, lay a 

 provision box containing the food we had brought for 

 breakfast after the hunt, which in our sudden retreat 

 we had forgotten to take with us. We should have 

 been glad to have it at this moment, for as the sun 

 rose higher in the heavens, our hunger grew upon us ; 

 and so tantalizingly near were some two pounds of pilot 

 bread, several boxes of canned meats, and half-a-dozen 

 bottles of wine and rum. 



" How can we get that box ? " said I to Thursday for 

 the tenth time. " We can't go all day without food." 



" It is almost impossible to get it up here, ]Dut it might 

 be done." 



