Chap. XXIV.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 209 



reaching the glen which had been the scene of our 

 exploits during the early part of the action, a calf 

 about three and a half feet high, walked forth from 

 a bush, and saluted us with mournful piping notes. 

 We had observed the unhappy little wretch hovering 

 about its mother after she fell, and having probably 

 been unable to overtake the herd, it had passed a 

 dreary night in the wood. Entwining its little pro- 

 boscis about our legs, the sagacious creature, after 

 demonstrating its delight at our arrival by a thou- 

 sand ungainly antics, accompanied the party to the 

 body of its dam ; which, swollen to an enormous 

 size, was surrounded by an inquest of vultures. 

 Seated in gaunt array, with their shoulders shrug- 

 ged, these loathsome fowls were awaiting its decom- 

 position with forced resignation : the tough hide 

 having defied all the efforts of their beaks, with 

 which the eyes and softer parts had been vigour- 

 ously assailed. The conduct of the quaint little 

 calf now became quite affecting, and elicited the 

 sympathy of every one. It ran round its mother's 

 corse with touching demonstrations of grief, piping 

 sorrowfully, and vainly attempting to raise her with 

 its tiny trunk. I confess that I had felt compunc- 

 tions in committing the murder the day before, and 

 now half resolved never to assist in another; for in 

 addition to the moving behaviour of the young 

 elephant, I had been unable to divest myself of the 

 idea that I was firing at my old favourite Mowla- 

 Bukhsh, from whose gallant back I had vanquished 

 so many of my feline foes in Guzerat — an im- 



