184 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. xvni 



burnt by native bush fires somewhat earlier in the 

 year, I decided to wait and see if the animal would 

 venture out of cover and give me an unobstructed 

 field for shooting. A few seconds afterwards, he 

 reached the verge of the long grass, about a 

 hundred yards from where we lay expectant, so 

 bidding my tracker Hyiah stay behind and take 

 charge of Whisky, I gradually crept on hands and 

 knees towards my quarry, Ntawasie, my second 

 tracker, crawling stealthily in my wake with my light 

 rifle. The elephant, who, I could see, had a 

 magnificent pair of tusks, sticking fully five feet out 

 of his head, had now partially emerged from the 

 jungle, so motioning to Ntawasie to stay where he 

 was, I stole forward, feeling quite confident of bag- 

 ging him with the first or second shot. Nearer and 

 nearer I crept, and was about fifty yards from the 

 elephant, when I heard a furious growling behind 

 me, and, next moment, Whisky, who had evidently 

 slipped his leash, bounded past me and dashed 

 straight towards the tusker. I instantly raised my 

 rifle, fully expecting that the elephant, warned by 

 Whisky of our presence, would clear back into the 

 long grass : but instead of doing so, he came 

 quickly forward, as if wondering what new species 

 of animal he had suddenly come across. As he was 

 now only forty yards off and presenting a perfect 

 view for a shot, I felt that I could place a bullet in 



