THE BETTER PART OF VALOUR. 179 



against injury from wild beasts. My own man, Inyovu, 

 was as pale as a black man could be, and his whole frame 

 appeared to suffer much from cold. I dare say, had 

 I counted my own pulse, I should have found it quicker 

 than usual. 



The elephant's patience was the first to be exhausted : 

 with a half-growl, half-trumpet, he forced himself through 

 the tangled brushwood towards us. He came in sight so 

 close to me, that the muzzle of my rifle was considerably 

 elevated when I fired. With a turn and rush that a harle- 

 quin might have envied, I soon got over a hundred yards, 

 the line to run having been determined on previous to 

 firing. It would not have been wise to stay and look 

 if one were being pursued ; run first, and look afterwards, 

 was the approved plan. It is a poor sort of courage, that 

 fears taking precautions, lest its truth should be ques- 

 tioned. 



There was a crash somewhere behind me as J ran, but 

 I could not tell in which direction ; seeing, therefore, that 

 I was likely to come against others of the herd if I con- 

 tinued my retreat, I took up a position with my Kaffirs 

 beside a large thick tree, and proceeded to load my rifle, 

 which I did not accomplish without a reproof from 

 Monyosi for ramming down the charge whilst the butt of 

 the gun was on the ground. 



We could now hear the troop of elephants rapidly 

 retreating through the forest. The loud crashing of the 

 thick branches showed the alarming sound of a rifle had 

 caused a headlong rush to be made, that sounded like a 

 rolling fire of musketry. 



N 2 



