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loose stones, interspersed with streams, and with occasional patches of forest, in which the recent ravages of elephants were 
more than ever surprising. Here, to our inexpressible gratification, we descried a large herd of those long-sought animals, 
brewing lazily at the head of a distant valley, to which our attention had first been directed by the strong, and not to be 
mistaken effluvia wherewith the wind was impreguated. Having never before seen the ‘noble “Elephant in his native abode, we 
gazed on the sight before us with intense and indescribable interest, our own feelings on the occasion extending to the whole 
of our followers. As for Andries, he became so agitated, that he could scarcely articulate. The blood forsook his sallow 
cheek, while with open eyes and quivering lip he barely contrived to stutter forth “Daar stan de Olifant!” Mohanycom and 
‘Lingap were immediately despatched by a circuitous route to head the herd back into the valley, up which we rode slowly 
and without noise against the wind—and arriving unperceived within one hundred and fifty yards, made our horses fast, and 
took up an elevated position in an old stone kraal. The shouting of the sayages who now appeared upon the height, rattling 
their white ox-hide shields, presently caused the huge animals to advance unsuspiciously towards us, and even within ten paces of 
our ambuseade, The group consisted of nine—all females with large tusks. Selecting the finest, with perfect deliberation we 
fired a volley of five balls into her side. She stumbled, but quickly recovering herself, uttered a shrill note of lamentation, where- 
upon the whole party threw their trunks above their heads, and clambered up the rugged face of the adjacent hills with incre- 
dible celerity, their huge fan-like ears flapping in the ratio of their speed. We instantly mounted our horses, and the 
sharp loose stones ill suiting the feet of the wounded lady, soon closed with her, Streaming with blood, and infuriated with 
pain, she turned upon us with uplifted trunk, her little eyes glowing like live coals;— nor was it until after repeated dis- 
charges that a ball took effect in her brain, and cast her lifeless on the earth, which resounded with the fall. 
Turning our attention from this exciting scene, we perceived that a second valley had opened upon us, surrounded by bare 
stony hills, and traversed by a thinly wooded ravine. Here a grand and magnificent panorama was before us, which batfles 
all attempt at description, The whole face of the landscape was actually covered with wild elephants! There could not 
have been fewer than three hundred within the scope of our vision. Every height and green knoll was dotted over with 
groups of them, whilst the bottom of the glen exhibited a dense and sable living mass—their colossal forms, at one moment 
partially concealed by the trees which they were disfiguring with giant strength, being seen the next majestically emerging 
into the open glades, bearing branches in their trunks with which they indolently defended themselves from the flies. The 
back ground was filled in by a limited peep of the blue-mountain range which here assumed a remarkably precipitous cha- 
racter, aud partly scathed by fire, completed a picture, at once soul-stirring and sublime! 
The approach of our party being still against the wind, was unobserved, and created no alarm, until the vanguard of 
the herd that we had left behind, suddenly showed itself, recklessly thundering down the side of the hill to join the main 
body, and passing so elose to us, that we could not refrain from pouring a broad-side into the leader, who, however, bravely 
withstood it. Having secured our horses on the summit of a stony ridge, and stationed ourselves at an opportune place, on 
a ledge overlooking a portion of the wooded defile, we sent Andries to manoeuvre so that as many of the elephants as possible 
should pass before us in order of review, designing to ascertain, by a close inspection, whether there was not a male amongst 
them. Filing sluggishly along, numbers halted at intervals, and crossing their hind legs, stood at ease beneath an umbrageous 
tree, some fifteen yards below the rock on which we sat, lazily fanuing themselyes with their ample ears, blowing away the 
flies through their trunks, pushing their enormous foreheads wantonly against the stem, and uttering that feeble and peculiar 
ery so familiar to an Indian. They all proved to be ladies, and most of them mothers—the little old-fashioned calves trudging 
close to the heels of their dam, and mimicking all her actions. Thus situated, we might have slain any number we pleased, 
a score of heads being frequently turned towards us in such a position, and so close, that a single ball from our elevated 
position must have sufficed for each; but we still hoped to fiud a bull, and were yet hesitating when a shot fired by Andries 
suddenly whizzmg past Richardson’s ear, put the whole cohort to immediate flight. We had barely time to seek the shelter of 
a tree, before a party of about twenty adults, with several little ones in their wake, were close upon our heels, striding at 
their utmost speed, and trumpeting loudly with uplifted heads. I rested my rifle against the stem, and firing behind the 
shonlder of the leader, she dropped instantly, Another large detachment appearing in our rear at the same moment, we were 
again compelled to retreat, dodging from tree to tree, stumbling among stumps and stones, and coming ever upon fresh parties 
of the enemy. But this scene of ludicrous confusion did not long continue, and being soon enabled to approach the prostrate 
lady, we put an end to her struggles by a rifle shot in the forehead, Andries now came puffing up in high good humour 
at his achievements, and under the pretence that the animal was shamming, in the most bravado manner discharged his cum- 
hrous piece into the dead carease. The villain’s object evidently was, however, to confound the shots—for thrusting his middle 
finger into the orifice made by my two-ounce ball, he with the most modest assurance declared himself to be the author of 
the deed, being pleased altogether to overlook the fact of the mortal wound having been inflicted on the side opposite to that 
ou which he was stationed, whilst his own bullet, whether designedly or otherwise, had all but expended my worthy and 
esteemed fellow-traveller. 
On our way back to the camp, of the exact position of which we were rendered somewhat uncertain, owing to the 
difficulties opposed to the advance of the waggons by the late inundation, we passed three other large herds. One of them 
standing directly in our route, we attacked and pursued the fugitives about a mile over loose stones. Much has been said 
+ 
and written of the attachment of elephants to their young, but neither on this nor on any subsequent occasion could we 
a 7 — - — —_ 
