TRACKING THE HERD. 83 



Our advance was rather quick, as we did not pay 

 sufficient attention to the signs and noises as we 

 approached the elephants. Scarcely thirty yards had 

 been gone over when I looked round to the spot where 

 our horses stood ; the thickness of the intervening bush, 

 however, prevented me from seeing them. Several large 

 branches had been broken off the trees, the ends eaten, 

 and then cast across the path in different directions. 

 Either in play or rage, the elephants had entirely de- 

 stroyed two or three trees of a considerable size, that 

 stood near their path, peeling the bark off in many in- 

 stances for several feet up the stems. 



We steadily continued our advance, following in the 

 footsteps of the elephants; the freshly-trodden course of 

 the gigantic animals being clearly indicated. 



I was much surprised at the silence that reigned in the 

 bush. I expected that a herd of wild elephants would in- 

 dicate their presence by noises audible at a great distance. 



M told me, however, that during the day they 



usually remained quiet, especially when they knew that 

 they were in a suspicious neighbourhood, or where they 

 had lately smelt traces of man. This cautious proceeding 

 I have since discovered to be invariable. 



We trudged on steadily for about a mile, creeping 

 under the branches that crossed our path, and removing 

 others which had apparently been dropped by the 

 elephants. We were at length stopped by observing the 

 branches of a distant tree violently shaken. We watched 

 them for a considerable time, and listened, but only heard 

 a queer sort of rumbling noise for which we could not 



G 2 



