186 TEACHING THE YOUNG IDEA. 



small bull-elephant, which came shuffling along with an 

 old-fashioned look of intelligence, and ran in front of his 

 mamma. He stood a little while with an air of wisdom, as 

 though to intimate, that although young and small, he 

 was still quite up to everything, and could teach his 

 mother many a " neat plant :" he looked a most pre- 

 cocious young elephant. Presently he advanced a few 

 yards, and swung his trunk about over the footprints 

 of the Kaffir, whose naked feet, I imagine, left a better 

 scent than my " veld schoens." Young elephant then 

 screwed up his trunk, and twisted it in the air, with 

 an expression as much as to say, " Now, really, this is a 

 dreadfully bad smell." During all this time we remained 

 perfectly still in the tree, and the elephants, trusting but 

 little to their sight, and not expecting their enemies to be 

 up aloft, had not noticed us. 



The young one was evidently much admired by his 

 mamma, and continued following our footsteps to the end 

 of our walk, and to where we had stood for a short time, 

 and then returned : there he was at fault, and could not 

 make things out at all. 



I had remained perfectly still during this performance, 

 as I did not wish the elephants to know that I was up 

 the tree. Had they gone near the guns, I should at once 

 have tried the effect of an English yell, with a second 

 shout from my Kaffir ; but Inyovu, beginning to be 

 alarmed, tried to get higher up the tree. I felt convinced 

 that we were quite safe, as the branch on which we were 

 standing was at least twenty-five feet from the ground, 

 and was also very stout. 



