150 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER ch. 
females are much smaller than those of their mates). 
Parched with thirst though we were, the temptation 
to give chase was irresistible, and only a hunter 
who has lived by his rifle knows the power of that 
allurement. So we turned aside, trusting that the 
hunt might be brief and fortunate, and assisted 
in our decision by the knowledge that our quarry 
would in all probability lead us to water, even 
should we fail to get a shot at them. On both 
counts, however, we were doomed to bitter dis¬ 
appointment, for, after following them till about 
eleven o’clock, we discovered, to our intense 
chagrin, that they had joined a large herd of 
females, a fact which renders killing them a 
matter of great difficulty and increased danger. To 
‘ put the lid ’ on matters, they got a whiff of our 
tainted air and the whole herd decamped! Where 
the males had joined the females, we came across 
some water-holes, and you can imagine our feelings 
of disgust when we found that these were bone-dry ! 
We had not partaken of food or drink since the 
previous morning, and all day long we had been 
marching under a merciless, blistering sun, during 
the hottest month of the year, Hunger, however, 
was a minor matter in comparison with thirst, and 
even during the intense excitement of the hunt, at 
the back of our minds there had been the persistent 
craving for water. Water! water! water! the 
