82 BIG GAME SHOOTING 
small calves. As the mothers move off, disturbed and trumpet- 
ing, the little fellows fancy it their business to follow suit. Up 
goes each tiny trunk with a penny trumpet and a fussy waving 
to and fro. When frightened they run under their mothers, 
and peer out in the most old-fashioned way ; and if you have 
been unfortunate enough to kill the parent, they will often 
follow your horse—poor little beggars ! 
The mothers, I think, as a rule, do not show so much 
affection for their young as might be expected. They are 
too nervous and easily affected to remain mistresses of them- 
selves, and, so far as I have experience, forget their off- 
spring in troubled times. You have occasionally striking 
instances to the contrary, but they are the exceptions. Ina 
large herd of females I once shot a young bull, believing him a 
good tusked cow ; as he dropped, a gaunt old lady, presumably 
his mamma, fell out from the herd, and charged me at once. 
I was on horseback and galloped away from her, as she had 
shabby stumpy tusks, and though I was that day shooting 
for the pot, there were plenty of others to choose from. She 
turned back to the dead elephant, which lay in the opening 
through which I had to pass to get at the others, and stood guard 
over it, charging in the most determined way every time I 
attempted to get by—which I had to do at last by allowing her to 
follow me and then doubling on her. This scene I remember 
more clearly than I otherwise perhaps should because of an ex- 
traordinary sight. When I caught the elephants again they 
were slinging down a hillside. Dismounting, I killed three 
of them, two pitching on their heads and rolling over like 
rabbits. 
We shot through the country of the Bakaa for about seven 
weeks, north and south of the rocky hills on which they lived, 
and I was here first introduced to that giant tree, the baobab. 
I was following elephant spoor on foot, with three or four men, 
through thick thorns, when I found that they had led me off 
the tracks ; and on looking up for a reason why, quite close to 
me stood what at first I took to be the body of an elephant, 
