544 WILD SCENES AND "WILD HUNTERS. 



late. With open eyes and quivering lips lie at length stuttered 

 forth — 



"Bar stand de olifant!" 



Mohanycom and Lingap were immediately dispatched to 

 drive the herd back into the valley, up which we rode slowly 

 and without noise, against the wind ; and arriving within one 

 hundred and fifty yards unperceived, we made our horses 

 fast, and took up a commanding position in an old stone 

 kraal. The shouting of the savages, who now appeared on 

 the height, rattling their shields, caused the animals to move 

 unsuspiciously towards us, and even within ten yards of our 

 ambush. The group consisted of nine, all females, with large 

 tusks. We selected the finest, and with perfect deliberation, 

 fired a volley of five balls into her. She stumbled, but 

 recovering herself, uttered a shrill note of lamentation, when 

 the whole party threw their trunks above their heads, and 

 instantly clambered up the adjacent hill with incredible 

 celerity, their huge fan-like ears fiapping in the ratio of 

 their speed. We instantly mounted our horses, the sharp 

 loose stones not suiting the feet of the wounded lady, soon 

 closed with her. Streaming with blood, and infuriated with 

 rage, she turned upon us with uplifted trunk, and it was not 

 until after repeated discharges, that a ball took effect in her 

 brain, and threw her lifeless upon the earth, which resounded 

 with the fall. 



Turning our attention from the exciting scene we have 

 described, we found that a second valley had opened before 

 us, surrounded by bare strong hills, and traversed by a thinly 

 wooded ravine. Here a grand and magnificent panorama 

 was before us, which beggars all description. The whole 

 face of the landscape was actually covered with wild elephants. 

 There could not have been fewer than three hundred within 

 the scope of our vision. Every height and green knoll was 

 dotted over with groups of them, whilst the bottom of the 



