FOLLOWING THE SPOOR. 305 



Noon has arrived. The sun is in his zenith. Its 

 scorching rays descend vertically on your devoted 

 head ; the sand is so headed as to blister your feet, 

 and not a breath of wind stirs the atmosphere, which 

 is like that at the mouth of a heated furnace. You 

 are seized with giddiness and a burning thirst, 

 which your supply of half-boiling water is insuffi- 

 cient to quench. You look anxiously round for 

 some shady spot to rest your aching head ; but 

 recollecting that success depends almost entirely 

 upon your perseverance, you pursue your course 

 with a painful and listless step. The elephants are 

 at rest, but in another hour or two they will again 

 be moving. 



Suddenly, and when almost ready to sink to the 

 ground from the united influence of heat, thirst, and 

 fatigue, a native, who has been considerably in 

 advance, is seen running towards you. His looks 

 bespeak important news. " The elephants, surely ! 

 you involuntarily exclaim. Yes. Your surmises 

 are correct. Joy is depicted on every countenance ; 

 heat, thirst, fatigue, all are. forgotten in the absorb- 

 ing thought that you are near the object of your 

 pursuit. 



But you are still a mile or two distant from tlu 

 animals, and a short halt is therefore made, partly 

 in order to recover breath and to examine your 

 w r eapons, and partly to consult on the best mode of 

 attack; and this being settled, you again push for- 

 ward, taking great care to be under the wind of 

 the elephants. 



The time that DOW elapses before coming in sight 



