ng them that they should have the meat, provided we retained the
tusks for our share. The noise, however, continued; the women
shrieking, and flourishing their rods, the children howling, dogs
barking, and the men shouting at the tops of their voices and waving
fire-brands. Our fear was that the elephants would be frightened, and
turn back; but scarcely had we climbed up the trees, each of us
accompanied by several natives, than we caught sight, through the gloom,
of the dusky forms of an immense herd of elephants emerging from the
thicker part of the forest. We at once, taking aim at the leaders,
fired, hoping to kill some and turn back the rest. Two fell, and the
herd halted, apparently too much astonished to tell what had happened.

This gave us time to reload, when again the animals came on, passing by
the fallen bodies of their companions. Taking steady aim we again all
fired; and, beyond our most sanguine expectations, three more elephants
sank to the ground, each shot through the head. Whether or not the
shrieks in front distracted their attention and made them regardless of
the sound of our shots, I cannot say; but the animals scarcely stopped
for a moment, though some of them trumpeted notes of alarm, and advanced
with apparent caution. The rest stopped lazily, waving about their huge
trunks.

I was very thankful that we were high enough up the trees to be out of
their reach. Though several passed, us before we had reloaded, others
followed, and three more bit the dust. Neither did this stop the onward
course of the elephants; for, breaking down the fences which enclosed
the plantations, they swept across, seizing the fruit with their trunks,
and transferring it to their mouths.

Again and again we fired together. The cries of the inhabitants did not
stop their advance, though it tended to turn them on one side, where,
meeting with several huts, they trampled them down as if they had been
built of cards. Had it not been for the exertions of the people, the
whole village would have been destroyed; which Toko assured us, had
frequently in other instances been the case.

As soon as the elephants had passed, we descended, and as they showed no
inclination to turn back, we pursued them, firing as we could make
certain shots, thus killing I am afraid to say how many more, lest my
account might not be credited.

The remainder of the herd then swept on, though we would not give up the
chase until we had