FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRES 175 



down those narrow trails, perhaps from two direc- 

 tions at once, was one that started a copious flow of 

 cold perspiration. We waited for several years of 

 intense apprehension. There was absolute silence. 

 The elephants also were evidently awaiting further 

 developments. 



Then we edged slowly onward along the trail, 

 approaching each turning with extreme caution and 

 then edging on to the next. Somewhere ahead and 

 on two sides of us there were real, live, wild ele- 

 phants that probably were not in a mood to welcome 

 visitors from Chicago. How near they were we 

 didn't know except that the sounds had come 

 from very near, certainly not more than a hundred 

 yards and we hoped that we might go safely for- 

 ward to where the bush would be thin enough to 

 alllow us to see our surroundings. But there was 

 no clearing. Several times a crash of underbrush 

 either ahead or to one side brought us to anxious 

 attention with fingers at the trigger guards. At 

 last, after what seemed to be hours of nervous ten- 

 sion, we came to a crossing of trails, down which 

 we could see in four directions thirty or forty feet. 

 A large tree grew near the intersection of the trails, 

 and here we waited within reach of its friendly 

 protection. It was much more reassuring than to 

 stand poised in a narrow trail with no possibility 

 of sidestepping a charge. We waited at the cross- 

 ing for further sounds of the elephants waited 

 for some time with rifles ready and then gradually 

 relaxed our taut nerves. A line of porters with 



