CHAP. iv. ELEPHANT. 197 



sun was high before we started, and it was noon before 

 we crossed the Pongolo. The first thing that struck our 

 eyes as we emerged from the ford was another spoor 

 of the elephant on its way to drink, evidently of that 

 morning's date, and before we had got through the 

 broad bottom of waist-high grass that here separates the 

 jungle from the river, we met two native hunters from 

 the Bombo whom I knew, who told us that they had 

 seen the elephant the previous day from the mountain 

 and had come down after it. It was, they said, now 

 standing in the jungle, and they had tracked it in so 

 far, but had hesitated or more probably, feared to go 

 further. 



Our preparations were soon made ; two men, one of 

 mine and one of those from the Bombo, were told off to 

 guard two fords in the river, where it was likely to pass 

 if disturbed, the two carriers being sent round to watch 

 from the rising ground on the other side of the jungle, 

 while the two remaining hunters and I, after waiting 

 long enough for the others to get into position, followed 

 it in. It certainly had not been idle since its arrival, and 

 from the havoc among the cactus-bushes and the trees 

 one might have thought that a whole herd had passed. 



The Bombo Kaffir and I kept the spoor, while my 

 hunter was supposed to be keeping parallel to us, but 

 had really, anxious to inflict the first wound, and so 

 secure for himself the valuable pay for shooting a good 

 tusker, gone on, and had struck the spoor before us. In 

 consequence of this we had hardly heard the rumble that 

 betokened the animal being in our immediate vicinity 

 before a shot was fired, followed by the crashing of a 



