20 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER ch. 
every now and then encountering a living wall of 
vegetation through which they had passed with 
ease, but which had closed in behind their 
ponderous tread and left a narrow passage along 
which we could only struggle and crawl with the 
greatest difficulty. Under such conditions, the 
utmost caution must be used in tracking, for the 
slightest noise may at any moment render futile 
hours of exhausting work. Around us the grass 
towered twelve to sixteen feet high, narrowing 
the view to a few feet on any side, and in the 
confinement of this vigorous, rampant growth the 
heat was stifling. Thirst, which had, on our 
starting out, been an acute discomfort, now became 
almost unbearable, but still we hung tenaciously 
on to the spoor, and I had just observed with some 
uneasiness that the currents of air were blowing 
from all quarters, when we heard an ominous 
crashing through the bush. For the second time 
they had winded us and bolted! Words are 
inadequate to describe the annoyance we ex¬ 
perienced, and, too tired, thirsty, and disappointed 
to speak or think, we flung ourselves down for 
a well-earned respite. An overwhelming desire to 
sleep came over me, and, utterly reckless of sun¬ 
stroke, I was about to indulge in a brief doze, when 
Simba offered me his snuff-box. I am not in 
the habit of indulging in snuff, but I must admit 
