322 THE ELEPHANT. 



most trying ; the heat was more so. The sun, " blaz- 

 ing in a sky of brass," heated the atmosphere to a state 

 of suffocation, and the loose sandy soil to a blistering 

 intensity that made water ! water ! the incessant 

 cry ; but water, frequently half-boiling, even when 

 we could carry a decent supply with us, rarely 

 allayed our burning thirst. Indeed, every fresh 

 draught seemed merely to augment our ardent 

 craving often almost bordering on madness for 

 more of the precious liquid. A giddiness, a languor, 

 a sense of oppression throughout the whole system, 

 a choking sensation in the throat, a difficulty of 

 speech, a fearful palpitation of the heart, and a 

 nightmare feeling about the chest, were the frequent 

 consequences of our excessive fatigues. 



Words, however, can convey no adequate idea to 

 the reader of the hardships and sufferings of the 

 elephant-hunter on foot in the dry season of the 

 year, and in regions where water is scarce. Indeed, 

 experience alone can enable a man fully to under- 

 stand the severity of the sport in which he takes so 

 much delight. I remember on one occasion when, 

 after a long running chase, I had come to within one 

 hundred and fifty yards of an elephant that I had 

 seriously wounded, being so thoroughly exhausted 

 as to be unable to advance even a few steps farther 

 to enable me to give it the coup de grace. As a con- 

 sequence, I was necessitated to rest for a few 

 minutes, and when I had recovered sufficiently to 

 renew the attack, I found, to my great mortification 

 that the creature had moved off, and was lost to me 

 for ever. 



