d, having provided
themselves with an abundant supply of ammunition, changed their saddles
from the horses that they had hitherto been riding to the two which had
been presented to them by King Lobelalatutu, and cantered off, after
giving Mafuta--whom they left in charge of the wagon and stock--strict
injunctions to make for a certain indicated spot, and there outspan and
await them.

The light breeze which was blowing happened to be favourable to their
approach, and they had arrived within a hundred yards of the large clump
of mimosa in which they had last seen the giraffes feeding, when a heavy
swishing and crashing of branches caused them to draw rein; and the next
moment an enormous elephant emerged from the thicket, and stood looking
about him as he flourished a great branch of foliage in his trunk, with
which he seemed to be keeping the flies at bay. For a few seconds he
seemed to be unaware of the presence of the hunters, and stood angrily
switching the branch about his head and back, grunting and grumbling to
himself, as though he was not in precisely the best of tempers. He was
an immense tusker, by far the biggest that the travellers had thus far
encountered, and that he was the hero of many battles seemed evident,
for both his tusks were broken off short, leaving only about a foot of
jagged ivory protruding from each jaw. The first impulse of the two
hunters was to swing themselves gently out of their saddles and take a
shot at him, for the huge beast was standing in a very favourable
position, nearly broadside on; but Grosvenor, happening to notice the
broken tusks, settled back into his seat again, murmuring, as he did so:

"Let's leave the poor beggar alone, Dick; he's not worth shooting. See
his tusks?"

It was practically impossible for the animal to have heard Grosvenor's
voice, for he purposely spoke in low tones, in order to avoid attracting
the elephant's attention; yet as the words were spoken the huge brute
faced sharply round toward the two horsemen, and stood attentively
regarding them for a moment. Then, tossing aside the branch with which
he had been whisking himself, he threw up his trunk, and, trumpeting
savagely, charged straight toward them.

"No use waiting; let's scatter!" shouted Grosvenor, and, obedient to a
touch of the heel and bridle, the two magnificent horses which the
friends bestrode swerved round as though upon pivots, and dashed off in
a direction at right angles to ea