AMIU'SIIINC I'OK (JA.MK. > I 1 



more of the untamed life of savage beasts, in a single 

 night of such peregrinations, than during months of 

 toilsome wanderings in the broad light of the sun. 



To give the reader, however, a better opportunity 

 of judging between my critic and myself, I subjoin 

 an account of two or three nights spent bv me 

 "ambushing for game," nights which were certainly 

 not devoid of interest, though not always, it is true, 

 of the most pleasurable kind. 



On one occasion I had arrived a few minutes be- 

 fore sunset at a large " vley," called Okavaoa, 

 which, from the number of elephants' footsteps in 

 the sand, was evidently much resorted to by those 

 animals. There was, however, danger in facing 

 them here; the locality, with the exception of 

 several gigantic ant-hills, described at page ~.S:, 

 being destitute of adequate shelter, and time not 

 admitting of the construction of a "screen" like 

 that elsewhere described, in which 1 was accus- 

 tomed to ensconce myself on similar occasions. 

 Still I did not relish the idea of losing a chance, 

 and therefore determined, at all hazards, to take up 

 my position for the night in one of the artificial 

 mounds in question; and this the rather as the 

 moon was at the full, which was much in my 

 favour. 



I had not been long perched in mv po>: 

 of observation before a cracking and crackling 



O 



amongst the trees and bushes in the neighbouring 

 thicket announced the approach of elephants, and 

 a few moments afterwards a do/.en or more huge 

 unwieldy figures looming in the distance told 



