86 SEARCH FOE THE WOUNDED ELEPHANT. 



knew this, lie told us, that although he could only just 

 hear the report of the gun, he could still plainly hear the 

 elephant's trumpet, and he knew from the tone how 

 savage they must be : this man was at least a mile distant 

 from the scene of our encounter. On that evening it was 

 decided that early on the morrow we should retrace our 

 steps, and follow up the wounded elephant until we found 

 him, in case he happened not to be dead on the spot ; 

 and also that we were to divide the ivory, as, although I 

 had not actually fired, I had still aided and abetted in 

 the affair. While we were thus quietly counting our 

 chickens, this tough old African giant was most probably 

 walking away through the forest, with no more idea of 

 dying than we had ; little cared he for a fourteen-to-the- 

 pound bullet ! 



This was my first introduction to the South- African 

 elephant, and I may say to South-African game. 



On the following morning, the dew had scarcely been 

 dried by the sun before we entered the bush on our 

 traces of yesterday. We brought with us an English 

 settler, an experienced elephant-hunter, two Kaffirs, and a 

 Hottentot. We were uncertain about bringing a hatchet 

 for the purpose of cutting out the teeth, in case the ele- 

 phant was dead (the tusks, I should here remark, are 

 commonly called the teeth, while what in England are 

 called the teeth are really the grinders). We saved 

 ourselves a vast amount of ridicule by leaving the hatchet 

 at home. 



We had no difficulty in at once recognizing the spot 

 on which our yesterday's scene was acted. Had we been 



