WE MARCH FOR THE MOUNTAINS 195 



warning cry of a bird or the suspicious rustling of 

 our footsteps in the tall grass, but at any rate the 

 herd began to move slowly away. Two of the larger 

 groups marched solemnly down the slope away 

 from us and the other disappeared among the low 

 scrub trees to our right. We followed the two larger 

 groups and soon were again within a few yards of 

 them. An ant-hill four or five feet high gave us 

 some protection, and over the top of this we watched 

 the enormous animals as they stood under the trees 

 ahead of us. While watching these two large 

 groups we forgot about the one that had disap- 

 peared to the right. 



Suddenly one of the gunbearers whispered a 

 warning and we turned to see this group only a 

 few yards from us and bearing directly down 

 toward the ant-hill where we crouched in the grass. 

 They had not yet seen us, but it seemed a miracle 

 that they did not. If one of us had moved in the 

 slightest degree they would have charged into us 

 with irresistible force. We held our guns and our 

 breath while these big animals, by a most fortunate 

 chance, passed by us to the windward of the ant- 

 hill, not more than thirty feet away. If they had 

 passed to the leeward side they would have got 

 our wind and trouble would have been unavoidable. 

 I took a surreptitious snap-shot of them after they 

 had passed by, and for the first time in some min- 

 utes took a long breath. 



Then we circled the herd again and came up to 

 them. They were now thoroughly uneasy. They 



