KEMARKABLE STORY. 265 



the Bushmen came up to him, which was not far 

 from where I had seen him last. What followed I 

 must give in their own words : 



" ' They found him still alive and standing, but 

 unable to walk, owing to his leg being broken. 

 They slept near him, thinking he might die during 

 the night ; but at an early hour after dark they 

 heard another elephant at a distance, apparently 

 calling, as he was answered by the wounded one. 

 The calls and answers continued until the stranger 

 came up, and they saw him giving the wounded one 

 water, after which he assisted in taking his maimed 

 companion away.' 



" When this story was told me, I put it down 

 as a very ingenious fabrication of the Bushmen, and 

 determined to be led to the spot myself. Accord- 

 ingly, the next afternoon found mo at the identical 

 place where I had left the wounded elephant. I can 

 only add that the statement of the Bushmen, as to 

 the stranger elephant coming up to the maimed one, 

 was proved by the spoor; and their further asser- 

 tion, as to his having assisted his unfortunate friend 

 in removing elsewhere, was also fully verified from 

 the spoor of the two being close alongside each 

 other, the broken leg of the wounded one leaving 

 after it a deep furrow in the sand. As L was satis- 

 lied that these parts of their story were correct, 1 

 did not see any further reason to doubt the other. 

 I followed the spoor some few miles, but as the 

 evening was far advanced, and we were all suffering 

 from thirst, I relinquished the pursuit; but 1 heard, 

 the following year, that the wounded elephant had been 



