32 A DISAPPOINTMENT. 



Mr. Young came up, and taking his gun, wanted me 

 to follow them, but knowing how far elephants- go 

 when friditened, I declined. He followed their tracks 

 some distance, but saw nothing more of them, and on 

 his return we continued our course. 



In about half an hour after I saw one elephant 

 standing to all appearance alone in the long reeds, 

 close to the water's edge. We went ashore some dis- 

 tance below where the creature stood. Mr. Young 

 had with him his large Enfield breech-loading wall 

 piece, the projectile of which was iron coated with 

 lead, and the charge of powder twelve drachms. This 

 was carried behind him by a native, another bearing 

 a tripod in which the gun had to be placed before 

 firing. On landing we found the reeds and grasses 

 about twelve feet high, extending along the bank, 

 and some distance in from it. As we were cau- 

 tiously going along we suddenly came on a fine 

 bull standing alone within about seven yards of us. 

 Mr. Young ordered up his tripod. Tliis caused a 

 considerable bustle, and the bull, suspicious of danger, 

 began to move his ears. Then the gun turned out to 

 be empty, and in loading it the noise made by shutting 

 up the breech-piece again attracted the elephant's 

 notice, and in another instant he was off. I was dis- 

 gusted, and not seeing any chance of getting a shot 

 while with the party, I moved away to the left, taking 

 with me one man carrying a spare gun. I soon heard 

 elephants moving ahead, but feared that the frightened 

 bull had conveyed the alarm to the remainder of the 

 herd. I hurried on, and reaching an open space of 

 about two acres, where the grass was only about four 



