2OO TALES OF A NOMAD. 



In approaching elephants which have turned rusty, it 

 is as well to remember that every troop has a leader, and 

 that the rest will, in all probability, follow the movements 

 of that leader. If he be vindictive you ought to shoot 

 him first, as thereby the troop is left without a com- 

 mander and will most likely take to flight. 



The trunks of the trees here were large enough to 

 enable a man to successfully dodge an elephant ; but I 

 did not want them all to come at once, so I stole forward 

 on tiptoe, dodging from trunk to trunk, wishing all the 

 time that I was comfortably perched on one of the trees 

 at about twenty feet from the ground. 



At last I saw a grey mass before me at the edge of 

 the thicket which bordered the river, and on looking 

 more narrowly descried the form of an old cow elephant. 

 She gave a trumpet call which set the others shrieking 

 again. I could not see them, for they were in the 

 thicket. 



She was evidently the leader of the gang, and was 

 giving the cue to the rest of them. She was standing 

 broadside on, with her head in the direction we had 

 originally approached them from, and with extended 

 ears and one forefoot slightly advanced appeared to be 

 on the look-out for anything advancing from that 

 quarter. 



She was about sixty yards off. I determined if pos- 

 sible to shoot her, but wished to make quite sure of her 

 in order to avoid disagreeables. There was a big cotton- 

 wood tree about thirty yards nearer to her, so moving 

 quietly sideways until the tree was in a line between 

 myself and her head, I advanced swiftly forward under 

 cover of the tree. 



On reaching it I peered round the trunk. There she 



