TKEE'D. 



185 



creatures knew all about my approach. They shook the 

 branches, grumbled, and trumpeted, as though they 

 really meant mischief. I certainly was not game to go in 

 at them here, as I could not tell in some places, had an 

 elephant been within five feet of me. 



About twenty paces from this dense part, I had noticed, 

 in passing, a large tree and an open space around it : from 

 the branches of the tree the wild vine hung in thick 

 clusters. I thought that if I mounted into this tree I 

 might have a view of some stray elephant, and therefore 

 be able to approach him with more certainty and get a 

 safer shot at him. 'I walked back, and placing my gun 

 against the stem of the tree, caught hold of the vine and 

 hauled myself up into the branches ; I purposed looking 

 round first, and then getting my guns up. No sooner was 

 I up aloft, than Inyovu, who seemed to think it rather 

 lonely being left down, placed his gun beside mine, and 

 followed me into the tree. 



As I could not see any elephants by carefully scanning 

 the surrounding bush, I was thinking about descending 

 when a rustling amongst the underwood at a few yards' 

 distance attracted my attention. 



Suddenly a cow-elephant made her appearance : she was 

 not very large, but I at once saw that she was destitute 

 of teeth, and was of the class that the Boers had told 

 me were the most savage in a herd. She stuck her ears 

 out on each side of her head, and twisted her trunk about 

 as though smelling every breath of air. She then came a 

 few yards forwards, and gave a little scream ; this seemed 

 to be a sort of call, that was immediately answered by a 



