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A Dying Race of Giants 



stillness of the great forest. At such a signal the whole 

 herd moves forward, to-day quietly without noise, and 

 to-morrow in wild blustering flight. It is very seldom that 

 one can catch them up on the same day, and then only after 

 long hours of pursuit. . . . These forest sanctuaries, together 

 with their own caution, have done more to stave off the 

 extermination of the species than have all the sporting 

 restrictions that have been introduced. 



Every morning I returned to my post of observation on 

 the hill. I could easily have killed one or other of the 

 herd. But I did not wish to disturb the elephants, and 1 

 had also good reason for believing that there were no very 

 large tusks among them. Morning after morning I returned 

 disappointed to my camp, only to find my way back on the 

 next day to my sentry-box at the edge of the forest on the 

 hill. Days went by and nothing was seen save the back 

 or head of an elephant emerging from the "subugo." This 

 " subugo " knows well how to protect its inmates. 



Every morning the same performance. At my feet the 

 mist-mantled forest, and near me my three or four blacks, 

 to whom my reluctance to shoot the elephants and my pre- 

 occupation with my camera were alike inexplicable. When- 

 ever the clouds rolled away over the woods and valley it 

 was necessary to keep the strictest watch. Then I dis- 

 covered smaller herds of giraffes with one or two elephants 

 accompanying them. But this would be for a few seconds 

 only. The heavy banks of cloud closed to again. A 

 beautiful large dove {^Cohunba aquatrix) flew about noisily, 

 and like our ringdove, made its love-flights round about 

 the hill, and cooed its deep notes close by. Down below 



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