314 THE ELEPHANT. 



failed me, and I therefore sent my attendant for a 

 reserve of both that had been left with the men 

 on the rock, and, on his return, quickly terminated 

 the sufferings of the miserable creature. 



Whilst thus engaged, a third elephant had been 

 seen bv the men on the look-out : and, being in- 



/ x ' o 



formed he had gone in the direction of the spot 

 where the first of his comrades had fallen, I turned 

 off at once in search of him. I had not, however, 

 gone far, when I found myself surrounded by 

 numerous Ovatjimbas, or poor Damaras, making the 

 most terrific hubbub in celebration of my success ; 

 or, rather, at the prospect of a gorge on some 

 six tons of elephant's flesh. I cannot describe 

 the annoyance I felt at being thus unexpectedly 

 baffled in my object, for, of course, the animal in 

 question, scared by the noise, had precipitately left 

 the vicinity. Had it not been for the presence of 

 these men, I should probably have killed this one 

 also, which would, indeed, have made a glorious 

 day's sport. 



As it was, I had done pretty well ; having bagged, 

 to use the sportsman's phrase, two fine young male 

 elephants, measuring respectively, from head to 

 shoulders, eleven and eleven and a half feet. Their 

 tusks, however, were not on a par with the 

 size of the animals, the largest not much exceeding 

 fifty pounds. 



By this time more than fifty Damaras were on 

 the spot, whilst other natives, including Bushmen 

 and Berg Damaras from the neighbouring moun- 



O < ' o 



tain Etjo, were flocking in on all sides. The 



