WANT OF PATIENCE. 289 



another, and hanging about the well-worn walks with a 

 praiseworthy perseverance. They were always too cunning 

 for me, and either smelt my approach and dashed away 

 before I could get a shot, or remained inside the cover 

 and grumbled their displeasure, or trumpeted forth a 

 challenge from a stronghold situated a couple of hundred 

 yards within the forest. Finding that they were too 

 wide awake to give a chance by this plan of pursuit, I 

 selected a fine large tree, and taking my desponding 

 friend as a volunteer, we perched ourselves amongst its 

 branches, at about ten o'clock at night. Scarcely had half 

 an hour of silence passed, than my partner voted it a 

 nuisance not being able to smoke ; shortly after he com- 

 plained a little of cramp ; and in about an hour voted the 

 whole thing a wild-goose sort of chase, and came to the 

 conclusion that we might as well go home. Seeing great 

 difficulty in maintaining the perfect silence that was so 

 necessary to success, I agreed with him, and we descended 

 the tree. 



The walk through the strip of bush, that was dark as 

 Erebus, was anytning but pleasant, from the briars and 

 branches scratching tace and hands, to say nothing of the 

 chance of finding oneself suddenly lifted up by the 

 trunk of some artful elephant, who might playfully put 

 his foot upon the small of your back by way of caution. 

 We reached our respective homes without an adventure, 

 and on the following day I was pleased to find that the 

 elephants had not been near our tree during the whole 

 night, although the spoor showed that they came in great 

 numbers exactly unfer it on the morning. 



u 



