ELEPHANT - HUNTING. 
275 
the blue backs of about forty elephants. I bad never 
seen sucb a sight, and Speke wished me to have the 
first shot ; but another herd appeared in an opposite 
direction, and I preferred going alone, with a single 
follower carrying a spare gun. Here, whichever way 
we looked, for three-fourths of the horizon, elephants 
were seen, all grazing quietly, perfect "lords of the 
forest," and so unconcerned that I walked boldly up- 
right through the grass to a tree within fifty yards of 
twenty of them. It was a beautiful sight ; all were 
mothers with their young ; none so large as the Indian 
breed, but short, stumpy, handy-looking animals, with 
small, long, and uniform tusks. The most game point 
and the most striking about them was the peculiar 
back-set of their enormous ears. While waiting to get 
a close shot by their coming nearer me, I looked round 
for my man with the second rifle. Master Seedee was 
nowhere ! so putting up my Lancaster rifle, and aiming 
behind the shoulder of an old female with long 
tusks, I fired : she merely mingled with her comrades, 
who stood around in stupid alarm. In an absent fit of 
gazing, I forgot to reload till they were approaching 
me. I then changed my position to another tree, with- 
in thirty yards of a full-sized animal, whose shoulder- 
blade wrinkles I could trace distinctly, and brought 
her down on her hind-quarters with a small bullet. 
Up she got, rushed in amongst some others, who, with 
tails erect, commenced screeching and trumpeting, 
dreadfully alarmed, not knowing what was taking place. 
At last, some head wiser than the others took the lead, 
and off they all scuttled into thicker cover. I ran 
after them, but the jungle got so dense that there was 
some fear I should lose my way, as no one was within 
