loped away towards some scattered rocks, whence
they could better approach him on foot. Dismounting, the leaders formed
a hasty plan of operations, and immediately proceeded to put it in
execution.

It may have been that their explanation of the plan was not lucid, or
that Jerry Goldboy's head was not clear, but certain it is that after
having been carefully told what to do, he dashed into the jungle after
Sandy Black and did what seemed right in his own eyes.

Black kept close to the heels of Hans Marais, and so did Considine, but
Jerry soon began to pant with excitement; then he stumbled and fell.
Before recovering himself from a "wait-a-bit" thorn he had been left out
of sight behind. He pushed valiantly on however and came to a small
open plain, where he looked anxiously round, but his comrades were
nowhere to be seen. Just then a shot was fired, it was followed quickly
by another, and then was heard, above the shouting of excited
Hottentots, the shrill screaming of wounded and enraged elephants.
Jerry heard the tremendous sounds for the first time, and quaked in his
spinal marrow.

Observing the smoke of a shot on the opposite side of the little plain,
he proceeded to cross over hastily, but had barely gained the middle of
the open space when the shrill screams were repeated with redoubled
fury. At the same time Jerry heard cries of warning, coupled with his
own name. He looked right and left in alarm, not knowing where the
threatened danger was likely to come from. He was not kept long in
suspense. Behind him he heard the crackling and crashing of branches
caused by elephants bursting through the wood. Then a large female with
three young, but by no means small, ones issued from the edge of the
jungle and made straight at the unfortunate man. Jerry turned and ran,
but he had no chance; the elephants gained on him so fast that he felt,
with an awful sickening of the heart, it was not possible to reach the
rocky ground beyond the meadow, where he might have been safe. With the
courage of despair he faced about and fired straight in the face of the
old female, which ran him down with a shriek of indignation. She had
only one tusk, but with that she made a prod at Jerry that would have
quickly ended his days if it had not missed the mark and gone deep into
the ground. She then caught him by the middle with her trunk, threw him
between her fore-feet, and attempted to tread him to death. This she
certain