FOLLOWING THE SPOOR. 
305 
Noon has arrived. The sun is in his zenith. Its 
scorching rays descend vertically on your devoted 
head ; the sand is so headed as to blister your feet, 
and not a breath of wind stirs the atmosphere, which 
is like that at the mouth of a heated furnace. You 
are seized with giddiness and a burning thirst, 
which your supply of half-boiling water is insuffi¬ 
cient to quench. You look anxiously round for 
some shady spot to rest your aching head ; but 
recollecting that success depends almost entirely 
upon your perseverance, you pursue your .course 
with a painful and listless step. The elephants are 
at rest, but in another hour or two they will again 
be moving. 
Suddenly, and when almost ready to sink to the 
ground from the united influence of heat, thirst, and 
fatigue, a native, who has been considerably in 
advance, is seen running towards you. His looks 
bespeak important news. “ The elephants, surely 
you involuntarily exclaim. Yes. Your surmises 
are correct. Joy is depicted on every countenance ; 
heat, thirst, fatigue, all are forgotten in the absorb¬ 
ing thought that you are near the object of your 
pursuit. 
But you are still a mile or two distant from the 
animals, and a short halt is therefore made, partly 
in order to recover breath and to examine your 
weapons, and partly to consult on the best mode of 
attack; and this being settled, you again push for¬ 
ward, taking great care to be under the wind of 
the elephants. 
The time that now elapses before coming in sight- 
x 
