138 BIG GAME SHOOTING 
the dense forest—my otters were all gone—the country was 
not a tempting one for hunting, the thorns by the river being 
almost impenetrable, and the jungle further off so matted and 
bound together with creepers and monkey-ropes that I had 
determined not to try it again. The noonday heat had stilled 
the earth of all distinguishable sounds, though the unbroken 
monotonous hum of insect life, the never-failing accompaniment 
of a piping hot day, seemed to fill and load the head and 
sultry air. I had nothing to watch, less to do, and was not 
sleepy ; the silence burdened me: and at length, to break it, I 
shouted to my after-rider, who was enjoying his siesta some 
distance off under the waggons, to saddle the horses, and tak- 
ing my gun, I mounted and rode along one of the narrow game 
tracks into the thicket, picking upa Bushman who had remained 
behind at the encampment. For some time the only living 
thing we saw was an old bull buffalo, which with lowered head 
seemed inclined to bar the road until, threatened by the Bush- 
man’s spear, he sulkily withdrew. We had no need of him, and 
were content to let him go in peace. <A shot would have dis- 
turbed the elephants we thought we might fall in with, for 
though we were not on a trail, the fresh footprints which were 
ever and again crossing the track, and the broken branches 
with the sap yet undried, told us they had been there very 
lately. Into the thorny barriers on either side of the way we 
could not have followed them with our horses, even had we 
wished, so we stuck to the path and kept our eyes open. 
Presently the ground to our right with its sea of thorns rose 
in a long low swell, and as it sank into the little hollow beyond, 
five or six colossal bodiless legs stood out amongst the bare 
lower stems of the closely woven branches. I slipped from 
my pony, and crawling on hands and knees, got within twenty 
yards of the legs, without being able to see anything more of 
the owners. A large tree was in advance, round whose stem 
the thorns did not press quite so pertinaciously as elsewhere. 
Slowly and cautiously I gained its side. An elephant was close 
to me, but though I could now see his body he was stern on. 
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