t under my feet, a terrific uproar of angry
grunts and squeals rent the evening stillness, and a sounder of hog,
consisting of a boar, three sows, and upwards of a score of half-grown
young, which had been lying in the grass, rose to their feet and dashed
noisily away, the sudden and violent disturbance startling Jack to such
an extent and so completely upsetting his equanimity that he flung up
his head, swerved away before I could grasp his bridle, and with a
squeal of consternation took to his heels and dashed off full pelt in
the direction of the distant wagon, while the two dogs, wild with
excitement, went off in chase of the pigs, leaving me to my own devices.

To be left like that, alone and on foot, in strange country, a good five
miles from the wagon, with the darkness of a moonless and misty night
already gathering about me, was just a trifle awkward, perhaps, for I
was both hungry and tired, and a five-mile walk through the long grass
would be something beyond a joke. But with the river to guide me on the
one hand, and the hills on the other, I could not very well miss my way,
while as for the pony, he would probably return to the wagon, and the
dogs would certainly find me as soon as they were tired of chasing the
pigs; so, shouldering my gun, I stepped out toward the clump of bush for
which I was bound, and presently took up a position within its heavy
shadow where I should be pretty effectually concealed, while I could at
the same time observe the movements of the elephants. Luckily, they
were still so far away when the disturbance caused by the pigs occurred
that they had taken no notice of it, but came steadily on, led by an
enormous tusker; and presently they made their way well into the deepest
part of the pool, where, after drinking, they stood for some time
spraying their bodies with water spouted from their trunks. I did my
best to count them, but before the entire herd had arrived upon the
scene it had fallen quite dark, so that what with the darkness, the fog,
and the constant movements of the animals, I found the task an utter
impossibility. But I came to the conclusion that, from what I could see
and hear, there must be nearly or quite a hundred of them.

Then, as I stood motionless and invisible in the deep shadows of the
clump of bush, soft swishing sounds in the long grass grew increasingly
frequent all round me, and in the misty starlight I caught frequent
sudden glimpses of indeterminate