i2 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER ch. 
you must be constantly on the alert, for at any 
moment he may be upon you with one swift dash, 
sometimes screaming, but usually without uttering 
a warning sound, and these are the moments which 
call up every ounce of will, resource, swiftness 
and coolness of which your nature is capable. If 
you are deficient in any of these, it would be 
advisable to bid adieu to your friends before 
tracking up a wounded elephant. 
Often the pursuit of a wounded or shy tusker 
entails extreme hardship, for, as I have narrated 
elsewhere, food and water may run out. In case 
of thirst, it is useful to know that sugar affords 
considerable relief, and I have found that when 
my men are feeling the strain of a forced march, 
there is no restorative to equal a mixture of sugar 
and cocoa. 
Sometimes, if elephants are plentiful, I am from 
ten days to three weeks or more away from my 
main camp ; and after such a period of absence, 
I am generally glad to return, for, unless a man 
wishes to give way under the strain, he must rest 
and recuperate at intervals. On these prolonged 
hunts, when we have had a decent bag, I send my 
carriers back with the ivory to our main camp, and 
being tired by their arduous work, they stay there, 
and a fresh relay of men comes out and joins me. 
Then, when we have had our fill of sport, and 
