266 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



whilst some of the gang worked by turns with the 

 axe to cut out the tusks, (a tedious and lengthy 

 operation requiring much care,) and others pre- 

 pared our morning repast, I strolled about with 

 Googooloo, and examined the trail of the herd, in 

 order to ascertain whether there were any other 

 large tuskers in it worth following up. 



Our search proved successful, for the troop was 

 evidently much larger than I had at first imagined ; 

 and we found the spoor of a very large elephant* 

 which, from the size, I concluded must be a buH 

 with weighty ivories. From the trail, which I fol- 

 lowed up for some distance, I perceived that the 

 panic occasioned by my shots, had not been general 

 among the herd, for some of them could hardly 

 have been alarmed, as they had broken off branches 

 and browsed on the young wood, within half a mile 

 from the spot where I had killed one of their 

 number. I therefore made up my mind to pursue, 

 and returned to the gang to hasten them in their 

 work, so as to be sooner on their heels. The tusks, 

 which weighed about 70 lbs. were cut out, and, 

 with the snake, given in charge of Mootoo, Verapah, 

 and three of the Carder tribe, for conveyance to the 

 hut, to which I intended to return on the close of 

 the present expedition. 



After a couple of hours' tracking, we came to a 

 purling mountain stream, meandering through dense 

 forest jungle, where we filled our " mushucks," (large 

 leathern bottles,) in case of not meeting with water 



