THE CRAVINGS OF THIRST. 199 



away, trumpeting loudly as he went, and had I been 

 able to put another gun to my shoulder I think I 

 should have followed him, in the hope of his pulling 

 up for some of his companions, though I fear my 

 chance of success would have been but a poor one. 



When the other men came up, they went almost 

 mad with excitement, though none but Moloka saw 

 the fight. In explanation of his disappearance, Chin- 

 soro said the other men made him go back, and they 

 said Chinsoro was to blame. Two of Maramia's men 

 set to work to drink the elephants' blood, asserting 

 they would be dead in a few minutes, but I quickly 

 stopped them, saying there "was plenty of water 

 (madsee) close to us. At first they would not believe 

 me, but when I told them I had seen it from the tree, 

 they said, " Shew it quickly, or we shall die." I was 

 very nearly choking myself, and asked for the bottle, 

 but it was empty, the man who carried it having 

 doubtless helped himself. It was intensely hot, and I 

 really don't know how I, for one, should ever have 

 got home alive had not Providence brought this stream 

 to my notice. The grass was so long to its very edge 

 that we might have been walking within twenty yards 

 of it without being aware of its existence. We were 

 soon on its banks, and all drank copiously. The sandy 

 bed of the stream was about fifty yards wide, and 

 there was only a little water in one or two places, 

 and that almost too hot to drink. However, having 

 satisfied the first cravings of thirst, we dug, or rather 

 scraped, deep holes in the sand, and a good supply 

 was thus procured to fill ourselves, our bottles, and 

 goat-skin. We then returned to the elephants, and 

 cut off their tails as testimonies of our prowess when 



