1 8 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. 



starting, however, I despatched my two private 

 boys to the river to slake their thirst, instructing 

 them to return and double back on the previous 

 day's spoor until they met my four tardy carriers, 

 when they were all to repair to the river and await 

 my arrival. Immediately on their departure, I 

 set out with my two trackers, Simba and Chingondo, 

 the former carrying my light "318 axite rifle, the 

 latter, my double '577, and we had not gone far 

 afield, when we came across the spoor which we 

 had anticipated, finding to our surprise that the 

 tracks were those of the same four bulls that had 

 so cleverly eluded us the previous day. They had 

 come from the direction of the river, which they had 

 evidently visited for water, and were now making 

 for dense bush, about three hours' journey further 

 on. Fortunately, the wind was favourable, and as 

 they were travelling slowly, smashing, en route, an 

 occasional quaju or wild tamarind tree and feeding 

 at leisure on the juicy, acrid fruit, our prospects 

 of overtaking them, ere they reached their desti- 

 nation, were distinctly good. So we hurried along in 

 pursuit, as fast as necessary precautions permitted, 

 and by ten o'clock managed to get quite close to 

 them, only to experience at the critical moment, a 

 repetition of the previous day's adverse fortune, 

 for they again winded us and bolted. 



My second tracker, Chingondo, who carried my 



