A CIRCUITOUS STALK. 305 



ing monster, and to my great relief it fell. On putting 

 my hand into my poucli for fresh cartridges, my dis- 

 may can be imagined at finding not one left. By some 

 means or other the strap had opened, and as I ran 

 through the jungle every cartridge had fallen out. 

 None of my men were near, and I now perceived 

 that the elephant was only stunned, and having partly 

 recovered, was making efforts to regain his legs. In 

 vain I shouted and whistled for Masiko, Chinsoro, 

 anybody. Moloka was not here. When the elephant 

 had succeeded in getting on his feet, he charged about 

 fifty yards, roaring and trumpeting savagely. Of 

 course I retreated, but had not gone far when I 

 heard the brute crashing through the jungle close 

 behind. ThroAving myself headlong into a thick 

 clump of bushes, and lying motionless, the infu- 

 riated brute passed full tilt within a few yards of 

 me, but the jungle was so excessively dense that he did 

 not see me. In this uncomfortable position I lay about 

 five minutes, when, hearing no more row, I crawled 

 out a mass of scars, and having found a stout tree, laid 

 down my gun and whistled and called again. I was 

 soon answered, and in a few minutes all had arrived. 

 The guns were reloaded, and we were off on the track 

 of the wounded beast ; but it had gone clean away, 

 and though we followed the spoor till late we never 

 came up with it. 



When nearing the river towards evening, after 

 having given up the elephant chase, we saw a fine 

 koodoo feeding quietly ahead of us. As the wind 

 was wrong I made a circuitous stalk, which occu- 

 pied a considerable amount of time ; but at last 



X 



