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the wood, upon one of the lower steppes— his ponderous trunk wreathed around his white tusk, and but for the measured 
flapping of his ample ears, motionless as a marble statue. Securing my dapple grey mare to a convenient tree, I crept noise- 
lessly behind a huge red block of stone; and from this ambush, which completely concealed and protected me, levelled my 
rifle at his ample forehead — 
“Dike « hole toto 
Clean undermined, the slain beast tumbles doin: 
> 
the very earth trembling under his stupendous weight as he subsided with a heavy crash, and uttering one deep groan ex- 
pired without a struggle! The echoes of the report, reverberating through hill and dale, whilst they caused the mare to 
hreak her tether and abscond, brought forth a whole colony of pig-faced baboons from their sylvan haunts to afford me by 
their ridiculous grimaces, any thing but sympathy; aud so long was it hefore I recovered my truant steed, that I did not 
regain the party until some hours after nightfall, 
We were now in the very heart of the elephant country, but the perils of waggon travelling were hourly so materially 
increased by the more rugged character of the ground as we advanced, that in order to follow a retreating herd it was found 
requisite to leave the camp standing —a measure to which we were further impelled by a positive refusal on the part of the 
rebellions guides to accompany us one step to the eastward of the Limpopo. Crossing that river, therefore, we skirted the 
mountain chain on horseback, overtaking the rear guard of the fugitives at the close of the second day, below the highest 
point, where the sources of the Bekane and Umpeban mark the site of the last bloody conflict betwixt the savage forces of 
Moselekatse and Dingaan. Speedily becoming confluent, these rivers describe a nearly semi-circular course before joining the 
Limpopo considerably to the northward of the range, where the country, intersected by detached stony hills, and by mountain 
spurs of barren and forbidding aspect, assumes a more rugged character than ever. Open and level to the southward, it is 
dotted over with clumps of forest literally swarming with elephants: but although the rich black svil continues, vegetation 
becomes visibly less and less abundant. 
Seated the following morning upon a grey rock, we were discussing our frugal meal on the summit of a lofty knoll 
which overlooked a wild tract of this broken forest, when some of the Hottentots, shading their squinny eyes with one hand, 
pointed with the other to certain sable objects upon an eminenence about two miles in advance, the which, on being recon- 
noitred through a glass, proved as conjectured, to be the out-lying picquets of the vast troop of which we were in search. 
The unconsumed portion of our coarse repast being -hastily thrust into our pockets, we “saddled up,” and having with some 
difficalty eluded the officious attention of a rhinoceros, who was at hand as usual, were presently ascending the brow on the 
opposite side of which stood the van of the enemy. As our figures rose to view, the bull, startled by the unwonted sound of a 
horse’s foot-fall in his. quiet valley, flourished his great trunk above his head, and having gazed a moment im mute astonish- 
ment at the intrusion of such a cavaleade— whilst the females crowded up as if to claim his protection — erected his enormous 
ears, and moving his column-like legs after the fashion of seven-league boots, strode rapidly past. Crossing Andries first in 
order, that skilful Nimrod, anxious probably to accelerate his pace, dismounted nimbly, and marked the hind-quarters of the 
quarry with a four-to-the pound bullet, the heavy pat of which was instantly followed by a copious flow of blood. A shrill 
scream of mingled rage and dismay gave token of the pain occasioned by this wound, as, curling his trunk in the air, and 
clapping his flail-like tail betwixt his legs, the giant pressed on at his utmost speed—the wrathful voices of his associates, 
mingled with the crackling of broken branches, resounding meanwhile in the hollow, as they burst through the wood in various 
directions. Alternately galloping up on either flank, Richardson and myself then saluted him by turns, each with two barrels 
— the one keeping sight of him among the trees, until the other had reloaded. Every discharge was succeeded by a fresh 
stream of gore, and his noble form was shortly bathed in crimson; bat still the gallant beast held on his course at a swinging 
pace, until, being obscured for an instant by the brow of an intervening ridge, he was suddenly rejoined by his flying com- 
rades, and could no Jonger be distinguished in the crowd. 
Conceiving that he had broken away with a small section to the lower ground, I left the Hottentots completely at fault, 
seeking to retrieve the spoor, and leading my horse, attempted to force my way on foot through a ravine at its base, tangled 
with trees and undergrowth. Confused and unintelligible shouts from the height presently warned me of the proximity of 
danger — Daar stan he! Daar lope he!! Daar com he!!! but who or what he was, or in what direction he-stood, ran, or 
came, I had not the most remote idea; and being consequently unable to extricate myself —hearing at the same time a fearful 
crash among the branches, accompanied by a sound resembling the rolling of numerous large stones, I abandoned my horse to 
his fate, and hastily ascended the nearest tree, whence I obtained a bird’s eye view of the broad red backs of a large detach- 
ment of females, emerging with heavy tramp from the defile not twenty yards from my secure position. Andries had in the 
meantime been descried scouring over the plain below, with the wounded bull in front, and having fired two dozen shots in 
rapid succession before any one could arriye to his aid, he finally left the ivory standing, and came blustering back to say his 
‘powder was out. This terrible piece of mismanagement affording the animal a fresh start, we were compelled to follow the 
bloody trail a full mile, and having been again delayed by the attack of a rhinoceros, the lengthened shadows plamly told that 
it was late in the afternoon, when from a rising ground we once more obtained a partial view of the colossus, standing sulkily 
in the very middle of an isolated scrub, banging to aud fro his broad ears, and occasionally, by way of interlude, trumpeting 
forth a challenge to advance “an we dared.” Having fired several salvos without the slightest effect, and long waited in the 
yain hope of the Philistine coming forth to do us battle, Richardson, as a dernier resort, proposed that before it grew too 
dark, we should cut business short by going in to him in a body, Andries, upon hearing this rash proposal, began to foam 
