122 SAFARI 



repeated this twice. Finally the tree snapped and he 

 wrestled the whole upper part down to the ground. 

 Slowly he went to work among the leafy branches, 

 selecting the tender young shoots and buds. It was 

 superb ! 



When he had eaten all he wanted he walked around 

 the tree and came directly toward us. As there was 

 no use taking any more movies. I had Osa pick up her 

 rifle while I used the still camera. About the third 

 snap the elephant suddenly saw us. He stopped so 

 abruptly that his huge bulk swayed in our direction. 



Now he did the things an elephant does when he 

 is startled. His great fan ears went out as if to 

 catch the slightest whisper of soimd. His long tnmk 

 projected forward, waving sinuously in the air like a 

 black snake while he sniffed away for some telltale 

 odor that would reveal the identify of the strange 

 intruders on his meal. 



We did not move. Osa stood braced and ready 

 to shoot if the fellow charged. The boys bravely 

 held their ground. I "shot" another still or two in 

 order to record the fine picture of elephantine 

 curiosity before me. 



Now we witnessed a characteristic of the dignity 

 of these animals. A rhino would at once have 

 charged angrily or have galloped off in cowardly 

 fashion. One of the cat family, a lion or a leopard, 

 would have lashed itself into a fury. A giraffe 



