^ PAIR OF NOBLE BULL ELEPHANTS. 183 



(lemely hot, and the shuffling Bechuanas chose to lag 

 behind in the forest until they lost me entirely, with 

 the exception of three or four, who kept up with Piet 

 my after-rider, carrying my gun, and leading "Filbert" 

 and "Frochum," two of my best dogs. Not one of 

 these men knew the country, and they had no Baka- 

 labari with them to act as guides. When I reach- 

 ed the small fountain which lies west of the famous 

 fountain for which I was steering, I told Piet to come 

 on with the natives, and that I would ride ahead to 

 the large fountain. I then galloped ahead, and made 

 the fountain on its lee side. On slowly emerging from 

 the thorny thicket through which I rode, I was aston- 

 ished to behold two superb old bull elephants standing 

 before me in the open space betwen the cover and the 

 fountain. Both of them carried enormous tusks ; one 

 bull, however, was much taller and stouter than his 

 comrade; I had very rarely seen his match, and his 

 tusks at once took my eye as being perhaps the finest 

 [ had ever beheld. Here, then, was I standing, without 

 ^n or dogs, and with a very jaded steed, beside, as I 

 afterward had good reason to believe, the very best ele- 

 phan-t in all that district, and in perhaps many of the 

 surrounding parts. I would have given any thing at 

 that moment for my gun and dogs. 



I felt much perplexed what to do, but at length re- 

 solved that it was best to hold the elephants in my view, 

 and in the event of their being started to endeavor to 

 hold the larger bull in play, and hunt him always back 

 toward the fountain, until assistance should arrive. It 

 was well that I came to so shrewd a resolution, foi I 

 had not stood sentry over them for many minutes, when, 

 some straggling party having missed the fountain, and 

 passing to windward, they suddenly tossed up thoir 



