ELEPHANT HXJNTING. 187 



thither and took up our positions for, the night. Un- 

 fortunately, the dead elephant lay directly to wind- 

 ward of the southern margin of the fountain, on which 

 side were all the best elephant foot-paths. The conse- 

 quence was, that every elephant as he came up got the 

 wind of the natives, and turned right about. Late in 

 the night a troop of eight or ten bull elephants walked 

 slowly across the vley with their heads to the north. I 

 rushed forward to get before thdm in the wind, and 

 running down the edge of the thorn cover, I got with- 

 in thirty yards of the last bull, which was the best in 

 the troop., Observing me move, he stood with his tusks 

 up and his head directed toward me in a very suspi- 

 cious manner for two minutes, when his fears died away, 

 and he turned to me his left side. I then gave him a 

 deadly shot, which brought blood from his trunk, as I 

 ascertained next day. Returning from firing at him, I 

 met Carey ; his pluck had failed him, and he had drop- 

 ped behind. On upbraiding him for not standing by me, 

 he swore stoutly that he had stuck in tlie mud ! as we 

 had to cross a bog below the fountain in running for the 

 shot. I thought this was good, and I said to myself, 

 " I have got a name for you at last." Butparey was 

 a good servant, and very attentive to me throughout 

 my expedition. 



The next morning I and Mutchuisho took up the 

 spoor of my wounded elephant. He had gone off very 

 slowly, with blood running from his trunk. After fol- 

 lowing the spoor some distance, we lost it among others, 

 and we then gave it up. I sent Carey to the wagons with 

 the teeth, to act as escort, they being well worthy of an 

 escort, and at night I watched the fountain along with 

 three Bakalahari. We had not been long on the watch 

 before three enormous old bull elephants came ; and, aft- 



