CHAP. XXIII. 
THE ELEPHANT-HUNT. 
239 
sticks, was wonderful. But at the same time it was 
quite impossible to approach and shoot the monsters. 
By this time all the concourse of people had ridden 
down to the ridge above us, and were looking on. All 
at once one of the native hunters espied four large 
elephants standing by themselves on the face of a 
declivity on the further side of a ravine, or dry bed of 
a watercourse, which led down from the small forest, 
where the Prince had fired the first shot, to the great 
forest. These elephants appeared easy of access, and 
we all ran down, making our way through the low scrub 
as best we could to the ravine. By the time we got 
there the elephants had moved, and were no longer to 
be seen. The flat bottom or bed of this gully was over¬ 
grown by high acacias and other soft woods ; the banks 
down to it were very steep, and it was supposed the 
elephants had taken cover in this bottom. A little 
higher up the ravine another gully entered it at nearly 
right angles from the other side, and it was while 
crossing this gully that the elephants became invisible. 
They were now on the bank opposite to us, but a little 
higher up, and His Royal Highness had to retrace his 
steps, rejoin us, and hurry along to get opposite to 
them. This was soon accomplished; and the Prince, 
standing upon a rotten stump of a tree, took deliberate 
aim and fired off the large elephant-gun which he 
carried into one of the elephants. The four elephants 
