322 
THE EEEPHAKT. 
most trying; the heat was more so. The sun, cc blaz¬ 
ing in a sky of brass, 5 ’ heated the atmosphere to a state 
of suffocation, and the loose sandy soil to a blistering 
intensity that made water! water ! the incessant 
cry; but water, frequently half-boiling, even, when 
we could carry a decent supply with us, rarely 
allayed our burning thirst. Indeed, every fresh 
draught seemed merely to augment our ardent 
craving—often almost bordering on madness—for 
more of the precious liquid. A giddiness, a languor, 
a sense of oppression throughout the whole system, 
a choking sensation in the throat, a difficulty of 
speech, a fearful palpitation of the heart, and a 
nightmare feeling about the chest, were the frequent 
consequences of our excessive fatigues. 
Words, however, can convey no adequate idea to 
the reader of the hardships and sufferings of the 
elephant-hunter on foot in the dry season of the 
year, and in regions where water is scarce. Indeed, 
experience alone can enable a man fully to under¬ 
stand the severity of the sport in which he takes so 
much delight. I remember on one occasion when, 
after a long running chase , I had come to within one 
hundred and fifty yards of an elephant that I had 
seriously wounded, being so thoroughly exhausted 
as to be unable to advance even a few steps farther 
to enable me to give it the coup de grace . As a con¬ 
sequence, I was necessitated to rest for a few 
minutes, and when I had recovered sufficiently to 
renew the attack, I found, to my great mortification 
that the creature had moved off, and was lost to me 
for ever. 
