234 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. XXIII. 
elephants in South Africa, both male and female, have 
tusks. Amongst them we saw two large bulls which 
seemed to tower over the other elephants like castles 
in a fortress, and even at this distance the great extent 
of white tusks or ivory, extending many feet from the 
heads of these two monsters, was clearly visible. 
His Royal Highness was very keen to go at once 
to the attack ; but the hunters knew the ground, and 
that what appeared to us to be low scrub was a tangled 
mass of vegetation, through which it was almost im¬ 
possible to move, except in the elephant-paths, and 
this we found to be the case when we subsequently had 
to go through it. 
The experienced hunters in whose hands we had 
^placed ourselves consulted together for a long time; 
and as they were naturally nervous at the responsi¬ 
bility of taking the Queen’s son into great danger they 
informed us that, in the position the elephants then 
were, it was impossible to get at them, and that we 
must wait for them to get into a more favourable one. 
vThere had been so much delay that the Grovernor’s 
patience had failed him, and his Excellency and the 
large concourse of people had gradually crept up the 
hill and joined us. They were all equally impressed 
with the magnificent sight. As the elephants did 
not appear to take any notice of us, the hunters were 
actually talking of giving up the sport for the day, 
