ho were round us.

Our burst for the first hundred yards must have been fine, but we had
nothing to spare, as I looked round soon after starting and saw the big
elephant coming after us as if he really meant mischief, and but a short
distance behind us.

I lost my hat, but we rushed on, diving under some branches, hopping
over others, dodging this way and that, until I was completely blown,
and called for a halt, as, having both barrels loaded, I was anxious for
a shot. M--, however, would not hear of stopping, but still recommended
that we should clear out of the bush with the greatest quickness, as the
herd had shown themselves so savage. I bowed to his superior judgment,
knowing that he combined true courage and daring with a sufficient
caution to prevent recklessness for the mere sake of display. We at
length came to our horses, and I must own I felt more comfortable when
my leg was over my stout game little pony, than I did when on foot
within a yard or so of the elephant's trunk.

We stopped to listen, and heard the shrieks and trumpets of this wild
troop, and the crashing of the bush, which showed that they had not yet
entirely given up the hope of trampling to death their insignificant but
annoying enemy. I had, as I before stated, dropped my hat during the
first hundred yards' rush, and I did not care at the time to stop to
pick it up.

M--soon told me that he thought we should find his elephant dead if we
returned, as he had killed rhinoceroses, and thought the growl we had
heard was indicative of a death-wound. As he had aimed behind the
shoulder, he considered such a result probable.

Upon riding clear from the bush, we found on the Natal flat a Hottentot,
who was quietly sitting down mending his only pair of trowsers; he
looked at us very knowingly and said, "_Olephants barnie qui bas_,"
(Elephants very angry, sir). Upon asking him how he knew this, he told
us, that although he could only just hear the report of the gun, he
could still plainly hear the elephant's trumpet, and he knew from the
tone how savage they must be: this man was at least a mile distant from
the scene of our encounter. On that evening it was decided that early
on the morrow we should retrace our steps, and follow up the wounded
elephant until we found him, in case he happened not to be dead on the
spot; and also that we were to divide the ivory, as, although I had not
actually fired, I had still aided and abetted in the aff