A SHOOTING-PARTY IN THE BUSH--ELEPHANT "SIGN"--THE ELEPHANTS HEARD--
CAUTION IN THE BUSH--APPROACH TO A WARY ELEPHANT--THE BETTER PART OF
VALOUR--TRACES OF THE WOUNDED ELEPHANT--SIC VOS NON VOBIS--ACUTE EAR OF
ELEPHANTS--THE ELEPHANTS' SIGNALS--MORE OF THEM--TREE'D--TEACHING THE
YOUNG IDEA--A FAMILY PICTURE--CHAFFED BY MONKEYS--A SHARP LOOKOUT--THE
DISADVANTAGE OF "CRACKERS"--A KAFFIR COWARD--CAPRICIOUS TEMPER OF
ELEPHANTS--ELEPHANTS IN THE "OPEN"--AN AWKWARD POSITION--SHARP PRACTICE.
On one of those beautiful mornings that are met with in or near the
tropics, a light westerly wind blowing, we started for some small pools
of water, distant about three miles from the town of D'Urban. The party
consisted of myself and two Kaffirs. I had on a small straw hat, well
browned, a dark blue flannel shirt, and a pair of the untanned leather
breeches of the country, denominated crackers. The "_veld-schoens_"
(field shoes), similar to those worn by the Dutch boers, are much better
than boots, as they are comfortable, soft, easy, and very silent. A
long dark green jacket, fitting loosely, and covered with pockets, was
my only other article of raiment. This was my favourite costume for the
bush, and one that I had found particularly difficult to be
distinguished when surrounded by the thick underwood and gloom of the
overhanging trees.
My two Kaffirs had each a powder-horn and bullet-pouch hung over their
shoulders, a necklace of charmed woods, and a small piece of buckskin of
about a foot in length by six inches broad, hung before and behind from
a thin strip of leather made fast round their waists. They were not
encumbered with more attire, a snuff-box made from a hollow reed, and
placed through a hole in their ears, completing their equipment.
I had given one of these men (Inyovu, my Kaffir servant) my
double-barrelled gun, Monyosi having his own old single-barrelled
musket, while I was armed with a single rifle, carrying a
two-and-a-half-ounce ball.
On arriving at the holes that had contained the water, we found them a
mass of black mud, the surrounding grass being trodden down and daubed
over with it. The trunks of the trees were plastered with mud to the
height of ten or twelve feet, on account of the elephants having enjoyed
a good scrub against them after their wallow.
Monyosi was called upon to state at what time the elephants had rolled
and cleaned themselves at this place. "_Uku sasa namhla_," is at once
decided upon by all of us. There was no doubt about its being "at
daybreak on that day."
The footmarks on the mud had not had a drop of dew on them; those on the
sand under the trees had one or two drops only, that had evidently been
shaken from the branches by the troop in passing. The mud that was on
the stems of the trees was wet, with the exception of some very thin
patches, where the sun had dried it. The leaves that hung on the broken
branches had not yet begun to droop, whilst the fractured limb was still
quite wet from the sap; the grass that had been trodden down was also
fresh and moist; and by these signs we at once knew that at daybreak the
troop of elephants had paid this spot a visit.
Two or three very large circular impressions in the mud indicated the
presence of bulls, while the oval and small ones showed us signs of cow
and calf elephants.
The elephants had wandered about outside the bush for some time; they
had then entered, and walked on in Indian file to the deep and gloomy
recesses of the forest.
The path that the elephants had made was not nearly so large as would be
expected; it would have been impossible to have ridden a horse along it
even a few yards.
We entered on their footsteps, Monyosi leading the spoor; we advanced
with the usual slow, noiseless tread, with occasional rests of five or
ten minutes, for the purpose of listening. This latter performance is
tiresome to the impatient hunter, but most essential.
Listening is the only certain means of discovering the presence of
elephants, as they will frequently stand for hours, in perfect
stillness, especially on a calm hot day, and when the bush affords them
a secure and cool cover.
The rumbling noise in their vast interior they cannot keep quiet: this
sounds like bubbles coming up in water, and is sure to be heard every
five or ten minutes on a still day, even when at a hundred yards'
distance.
We had proceeded about two miles on their traces, and had entered the
densest part of the forest, when we heard this noise, and at once sat
down to listen, to find out all about them.
One's senses become wonderfully acute when much employed at this sort of
work, but still they are far inferior to those of the animals which are
being pursued.
You move with great caution, and apparently very quietly through the
dark avenues that the elephant has made for you; yet, upon getting a
peep at the branches of a far-distant tree, twenty or thirty monkeys are
to be seen watching you, and skipping about from branch to branch, as
though in derision of your unskilful attempt at a surprise. The single
note repeatedly and slowly uttered by some hermit-like bird, suddenly
ceases as you come within a hundred yards of him, and he flits away
under the arches of the forest, his brilliant plumage glittering in the
sun. These, and many other facts, intimate that man's faculties are
dull and imperfect, in comparison with those of the animals which live
in these mysterious regions.
When you know that the giant of the forest is not inferior in either the
sense of smell or hearing to any animal in creation, and has, besides,
intelligence enough to know that you are his enemy, and also for what
you have come, it becomes a matter of great care how, when, and where to
approach him.
"They must never know you are coming, and have time to make a plan," was
the advice of a famous elephant-hunter. I carried it out on all
possible occasions.
We continued our advance till we were within a hundred yards of the
elephant that we had first heard. We sat down and listened for some
minutes to discover if any others were near, as it would have been
injudicious to make an attack on this one, and thereby stand a chance of
having our retreat cut off by any other elephant that might be nearer.
We discovered no others very close, but the snapping of branches in the
distance occasionally showed that our purposed victim was not without
company. Throwing up some sand, we found the wind was favourable for
our advance, although the eddies that are always met in the bash
rendered it advisable to move on with as much quickness as was
consistent with silence.
Our advance, although conducted with the same stealth that marks the
movement of a cat towards its prey, was still not sufficiently inaudible
to escape the refined senses of the elephant. He ceased feeding, and
remained for some minutes like a statue. A novice would have laughed
had he been told that a wild elephant of twelve feet high was within a
few yards of him; the only indication the animal gave of his presence
was a slight blowing through the trunk as the unsavoury flavour of my
warm Kaffirs was wafted to his sensitive olfactories, or as a dried
stick cracked under his spongy feet. The density of the underwood,
which was caused by the festoons of wild vine and creepers, prevented
our seeing more than a yard or two in many parts; and though the
branches directly over us were shaken by the movement of the monster's
body, yet we could make out nothing but a dark mass of bush: to have
fired thus, therefore, would have been folly. Monyosi had frequently
eaten little bits of his charmed wood: I dared not speak to ask him its
specific, but I afterwards learnt it was infallible as a preventive
against injury from wild beasts. My own man, Inyovu, was as pale as a
black man could be, and his whole frame appeared to suffer much from
cold. I dare say, had I counted my own pulse, I should have found it
quicker than usual.
The elephant's patience was the first to be exhausted: with a
half-growl, half-trumpet, he forced himself through the tangled
brushwood towards us. He came in sight so close to me, that the muzzle
of my rifle was considerably elevated when I fired. With a turn and
rush that a harlequin might have envied, I soon got over a hundred
yards, the line to run having been determined on previous to firing. It
would not have been wise to stay and look if one were being pursued; run
first, and look afterwards, was the approved plan. It is a poor sort of
courage, that fears taking precautions, lest its truth should be
questioned.
There was a crash somewhere behind me as I ran, but I could not tell in
which direction; seeing, therefore, that I was likely to come against
others of the herd if I continued my retreat, I took up a position with
my Kaffirs beside a large thick tree, and proceeded to load my rifle,
which I did not accomplish without a reproof from Monyosi for ramming
down the charge whilst the butt of the gun was on the ground.
We could now hear the troop of elephants rapidly retreating through the
forest. The loud crashing of the thick branches showed the alarming
sound of a rifle had caused a headlong rush to be made, that sounded
like a rolling fire of musketry.
We did not give them much time to get away, but followed at once to the
spot from which I had fired. I had no hope that my elephant would be
dead; I knew the tough constitution of these animals too well. I was
disappointed, however, at finding no blood, none appearing for the first
few yards; I began to think that, by some strange chance, I had missed
him. We soon, however, saw two or three drops of blood, and then more;
at length it lay about as though poured from a pail. Both my Kaffirs
were delighted, and exclaimed that we _must_ get him. I had not much
hope of so satisfactory a result, having made many a weary journey
without success after other elephants quite as badly wounded as this.
Monyosi followed the spoor with great accuracy; he had taken the
dimensions of the feet of the wounded animal, and could therefore
recognise the prints on every doubtful occasion.
We had followed about two miles in this way, when we heard a loud crash
in advance of us. Approaching carefully in the direction, I caught a
glimpse of an elephant some forty yards distant, standing in a little
open space. Aiming at his shoulder, I at once gave him the benefit of
my heavy rifle. I stooped under the smoke to see if he had fallen, but
saw him rush away. I was turning round to join my Kaffirs, who had
fallen back a few yards, when the bushes almost close to me were
violently shaken, and the elephant that I had first wounded shuffled out
into the path up which we had just come. He was not ten yards from me,
and my only chance of escaping detection was by remaining perfectly
still. He did not seem to notice me, but to have been attracted by the
rich flavour of my Kaffirs. He heard their rapid retreat, and charged
after them; of which movement I immediately took advantage, and slipped
off in a contrary direction. My rifle was soon loaded, and I was then
more ready for another encounter.
I was anxious to discover what had become of my Kaffirs,--not that I had
much fear for them, each could be trusted alone; but I wanted to have
the benefit of their advice as to our proceedings.
I dared not stay where I then was, however, as several of the herd were
now trumpeting furiously, and kept slowly approaching the spot from
whence I had fired. They had evidently recovered from their first
fright, and had determined to drive away their persecutors. I therefore
retreated a couple of hundred yards, and gave three slow whistles, my
usual bush-signal, which was instantly answered a short distance from
me.
Upon consulting, neither of the Kaffirs would hear of again approaching
the troop, saying that the elephants knew of our presence now, and were
too savage. I began to think so, and therefore reluctantly withdrew to
the outside of the forest.
On the next day Monyosi followed the spoor of the two that I had
wounded, but failed in coming up with them.
About a week after this adventure, two Kaffirs, who I knew never did
shoot, came to me with a pair of elephant's tusks to sell: they said
that they had found them in the bush; but, upon noticing that I was
anxious to know where this discovery was made, they denied having found
them themselves, but said another Kaffir had done so. From what I
afterwards ascertained, I am certain that those teeth belonged to one of
the elephants I had wounded on the day which I have just mentioned.
Soon after this affair, the herd left the Berea bush, and moved several
miles up the coast. I then again took up the bush-buck shooting, at
which capital sport could now be had, as the elephants had made so many
paths, and trodden down so much of the underwood, that one's progress
could be made with less noise, and in consequence seven or eight fair
chances at buck could be had in a day.
One or two more accounts of the giant game of Africa may perhaps be
excused.
I have before spoken of the acuteness of the elephant's hearing, and I
had a very good proof of it on the occasion that I will now mention.
As I was making my rounds one afternoon on horseback, I heard the crack
of a broken branch some distance up a path that led to a flagstaff on
the top of the Berea. I knew at once that the noise was caused by some
elephants browsing; I therefore left my horse outside the bush, that I
might proceed quite quietly, and walked up this road for half a mile to
an open space of about an acre, from which I had a fine view all round.
I soon discovered that a large herd of elephants were in the hollow just
below the rising ground on which I was standing, and they appeared to be
working up to the position from which I was looking out for them. I was
well to leeward of the herd, and had taken up my position with
praiseworthy silence, and at about sixty yards from the edge of the
dense cover. I kept at this distance to avoid any eddies of wind that
might otherwise have carried to the elephants the knowledge of my
presence: there was a breeze blowing, so I did not fear the animals
getting my wind. I had waited patiently for more than half an hour,
watching for a shot, and could see several of the top branches of the
trees shaken by the elephants which were feeding; some were within
thirty yards of the edge of the bush, while several others were
scattered about at different distances. I did not feel inclined to
enter the bush, as it was so dense, therefore very dangerous; and I
hoped to have a good view of the game in the open. Suddenly, and
without any apparent reason, an elephant, which was feeding at about two
hundred yards from me, gave a trumpet of alarm. This warning-note I had
frequently heard, and had often been surprised at the code of signals
that these sagacious animals seemed to have. I knew that this note had
not been blown without good cause; the well-trained herd instantly
ceased feeding, and remained without the slightest noise for nearly a
minute, when they all appeared to have made themselves acquainted with
the cause of alarm, as they walked away rapidly in the bush, blowing
through their trunks, and making the branches crack in their passage. I
could not make out for what all this was done, but listened carefully
for some time, and heard nothing that should have caused alarm.
After waiting some minutes, I was about to return to my horse, when I
heard voices, and soon after saw two men of the Cape corps, who were
half-drunk and riding up the road at a slow trot. They asked me "if
this was the way to Pietermaritzburg?" Feeling very angry at being thus
disturbed, I told them to listen to the elephants which were getting
ready to charge; they stopped for an instant, when, hearing the snapping
of the branches caused by the elephants' retreat, which was still
audible, they muttered an oath in Dutch, turned their horses round, and
dashed down the road, too late, however, for my satisfaction, as they
had effectually spoiled my chance of a shot in the open.
These men must have been heard by the elephants when nearly half a mile
distant, and fully five minutes before I could note the slightest sound
of their approach.
I had been to lunch on wild honey one morning in the Berea with my
Kaffir Inyovu, when he suddenly called my attention to the sound of a
broken branch at some distance: we both knew that the noise was caused
by elephants. I wiped my honeyed hands and walked through the forest;
we shortly came on the fresh spoor of some cow-elephants, which were
attended by their calves. The traces were very recent, as some branches
and grass that the animals had placed their feet upon, had not yet
ceased springing up to regain the original position.
There was very little wind blowing, but what there was unfortunately
blew from us to the position which the elephants occupied. There was no
help for it, so I determined to approach them under these unfavourable
conditions. About fifty yards from where I guessed the elephants were
standing, the underwood was very thick. I pushed on carefully and
quietly, but soon found that these sagacious creatures knew all about my
approach. They shook the branches, grumbled, and trumpeted, as though
they really meant mischief. I certainly was not game to go in at them
here, as I could not tell in some places, had an elephant been within
five feet of me.
About twenty paces from this dense part, I had noticed, in passing, a
large tree and an open space around it: from the branches of the tree
the wild vine hung in thick clusters. I thought that if I mounted into
this tree I might have a view of some stray elephant, and therefore be
able to approach him with more certainty and get a safer shot at him. I
walked back, and placing my gun against the stem of the tree, caught
hold of the vine and hauled myself up into the branches; I purposed
looking round first, and then getting my guns up. No sooner was I up
aloft, than Inyovu, who seemed to think it rather lonely being left
down, placed his gun beside mine, and followed me into the tree.
As I could not see any elephants by carefully scanning the surrounding
bush, I was thinking about descending when a rustling amongst the
underwood at a few yards' distance attracted my attention.
Suddenly a cow-elephant made her appearance. She was not very large,
but I at once saw that she was destitute of teeth, and was of the class
that the Boers had told me were the most savage in a herd. She stuck
her ears out on each side of her head, and twisted her trunk about as
though smelling every breath of air. She then came a few yards
forwards, and gave a little scream; this seemed to be a sort of call,
that was immediately answered by a small bull-elephant, which came
shuffling along with an old-fashioned look of intelligence, and ran in
front of his mamma. He stood a little while with an air of wisdom, as
though to intimate, that although young and small, he was still quite up
to everything, and could teach his mother many a "neat plant:"--he
looked a most precocious young elephant. Presently he advanced a few
yards, and swung his trunk about over the footprints of the Kaffir,
whose naked feet, I imagine, left a better scent than my
"_veld-schoens_." Young elephant then screwed up his trunk, and twisted
it in the air, with an expression as much as to say, "Now, really, this
is a dreadfully bad smell." During all this time we remained perfectly
still in the tree, and the elephants, trusting but little to their
sight, and not expecting their enemies to be up aloft, had not noticed
us.
The young one was evidently much admired by his mamma, and continued
following our footsteps to the end of our walk, and to where we had
stood for a short time, and then returned: there he was at fault, and
could not make things out at all.
I had remained perfectly still during this performance, as I did not
wish the elephants to know that I was up the tree. Had they gone near
the guns, I should at once have tried the effect of an English yell,
with a second shout from my Kaffir; but Inyovu, beginning to be alarmed,
tried to get higher up the tree. I felt convinced that we were quite
safe, as the branch on which we were standing was at least twenty-five
feet from the ground, and was also very stout.
The noise that my Kaffir made in mounting higher seemed to puzzle the
elephants; they twisted round, flapped their ears about, and turned the
muzzle of their trunks in every direction. My attention had been so
taken up with the two elephants that I have mentioned, that I had not
noticed a large bull which had approached from the other side to watch
proceedings. A slight noise that he made drew my attention to him,
when, on viewing his gigantic ivories, I became ambitious, and could not
resist the temptation of trying to get to my guns to obtain a shot. I
caught hold of the wild vine, and was swinging myself down, when the
noise that I necessarily made seemed to alarm the elephants. The old
lady gave two or three grunts, which recalled her hopeful child, and
they all waddled off in the most absurd manner. It was a very pretty
family picture.
The elephant has always seemed to me a most grotesque animal; the
old-fashioned appearance of the young ones, and the awkward gait of all,
with that absurd look as though their skins were second-hand and did not
fit; the action of the hind-legs, like an old man's strut with a pair of
breeches on that are far too big, tend to make them look ridiculous; and
yet, withal, they walk about as though they considered themselves the
complete mould of fashion.
I reached the ground only just in time to see the elephants'
hind-quarters twist about behind a bush, waited a few minutes below the
tree to see if either of the three would return; but hearing nothing, I
got my two guns up the tree with the help of my Kaffir, and patiently
waited there, in the hope that the elephants would return for another
inspection. Had I been fortunate enough to have taken my guns up with
me at first, I could have easily dropped one of these elephants dead, as
their backbones were within twenty yards of me, and a heavy bullet
driven down near the vertebrae would have humbled the proudest elephant
in Africa.
I had not the slightest idea when I first ascended the tree that any
elephant would have come out into this open in search of me; and
climbing up a bit of vine being difficult while holding a gun, I waited
until I should see some black backs that might indicate the position of
the elephants before I hauled up my artillery; thus, however, I lost
this splendid chance.
After sitting patiently for upwards of an hour, and hearing nothing more
of the animals or even a sound of their presence, I gave up the idea of
waiting for them, and was making preparations for a descent, when I saw
the top branches of some small trees a few yards distant begin to shake
very violently. I cocked my gun, and was quite ready for a
bull-elephant, when I saw, to my great disappointment, that the
disturbance was caused by two or three little grey monkeys, that were
jumping about, and had evidently come to have a joke with me. They
looked up into our free with a very revere sort of critical expression;
made several faces and two or three short bows; scratched their sides
vigorously, and jumped from bough to bough until out of sight.
To show the attention that is sometimes paid to trifling matters in
bush-ranging, I will give another day's sport with Monyosi in the Berea.
We had gone in after elephants, and were on their spoor of the previous
night. There had been a great deal of listening and peeping, as the day
was so warm that we expected the elephants would be clustered together
in some shady glen, and would not move until we were right upon them.
As we were seated, listening, Monyosi suddenly looked up attentively at
a tree near us, and seemed to think that all was not as it should be. I
asked him what was wrong, when he said he did not know, but that a bird
had flown to a tree near us, stayed a little while, and had then gone
away. By the manner in which it had hopped about, he could see that it
was alarmed at something; and it would not have flown towards us, had
its flight been occasioned by our noise. I thought the cause a slight
one; but still, it is the dust, not the rock, that indicates the wind's
direction. Monyosi did not seem easy, but proposed that we should
proceed in the direction from whence the bird had approached us. We did
so, and after one hundred yards sat down to listen. Presently a very
slight crack of a branch or bit of stick caused our guns to be raised to
full cock, and we to peep about between the branches for a sight at
whatever it might be. The game was very cunning, and for full two
minutes there was not a move on either side; our patience, however, was
the greater, as we soon heard two or three light steps from the
suspicions quarter. I saw a smile on Monyosi's face; he uncocked his
gun, and gave a low whistle, which was responded to by another in the
bush a few yards distant. Soon after, a young English lad, born and
bred in the colony, and two Kaffirs, all three armed with guns, came
quietly up to us. I knew the boy, and he informed me that he was after
the elephants, but, hearing our approach, could not make us out; he
thought that he caught a glimpse of something rather red, which was
really my untanned leather breeches, and that he fancied it was a
red-buck; but the glance was so slight, that he could not be quite
certain. He consoled me, however, by saying "he should not have fired
at me unless he knew that the elephants were a long way off." We had
stood listening one to the other for about three minutes, and the bird
that flew past had given the alarm to Monyosi.
How would some of my friends compete in war singly with black men like
this? But fancy one hundred such against perhaps twenty young soldiers
inexperienced in the colonial cunning, and laughing contemptuously at
the black niggers to whom they are going to give a licking! Many
bleached skulls, that do not require one to have the science of
Professor Owen to know that they were once tenanted by a spirit
recognised in this world as a white man, might tell what was the result
of carelessness, and underrating the enemy, and perhaps a little
overrating one's own skill.
We joined the party which we had met in the bush, and together followed
the spoor. I now witnessed one of the rare cases of downright cowardice
in a Kaffir. One of this English lad's Kaffirs was a very good hand
after buck, but did not aspire to anything more. As we neared the
elephants, and heard their rumbling, this black cur shook as though he
had an ague, and said he would not go any farther. The English boy told
him if he went away he would only have one shot at him, but that he
generally drove a bullet pretty straight. This argument the Kaffir
seemed to consider a very convincing one, as he kept on with us. The
elephants were on the move when we came upon them, and a young bull was
quietly walking up a path directly towards us, with a branch held in his
trunk. My white companion recommended me not to fire; but, seeing the
elephant's shoulder, I sent my two-ounce bullet into it. I turned and
ran, but found, after a dozen yards, that the coward Kaffir was in my
way. He did not know exactly what to do, and was not moving at that
rapid pace which I always considered advisable after wounding an
elephant in this dense forest. A bundle of charmed woods was hung round
this Kaffir's neck, thick enough to have saved the whole Zulu nation for
evermore from savage elephants or hungry lions. Feeling indisposed to
jog on behind him, I caught hold of this necklace, which was the only
article of attire that he wore, and dragged him back, at the same time
slipping in front of him. As I passed him, he turned round with horror
depicted in his face, and wildness in his eyes. He just called out,
"_Bulula, bulula_!" (Shoot, shoot!) and then came after me: he thought
my hand had been the elephant's trunk, and that he was nearly a gone
Kaffir. I managed to get a long thorn deep into my knee during my run,
which caused such pain that I could not proceed on the spoor. I went a
little way, and saw plenty of blood, but gave up the search to the
English lad and his two Kaffirs, whilst I with difficulty reached home.
I never heard what was the result of the pursuit,--whether they found
and killed, or lost. I was lame for nearly three weeks afterwards, as
the thorn was poisonous.
The temper of the elephant seems to fluctuate in even a greater degree
than that of man. Sometimes a herd are unapproachable from savageness,
at others they are the greatest "curs" in creation. I had received so
many warnings from the elephants frequenting the Natal bush--elephants,
as I before remarked, particularly savage, from knowing the strength of
their jungle, that I used every precaution in approaching them, and
always acted as though a fierce and determined charge were to follow the
report of my gun. I believe that I frequently ran a hundred yards after
firing, when there was no occasion for doing so; but I am convinced that
on one or two occasions this little exercise saved me from feeling the
weight of an elephant's foot.
Being across the Umganie with Monyosi and his dog one day in search of
buck, I found the elephants in very bad "fettle." We had been sitting
under a tree in a little open glade in the centre of the bush, and
Monyosi was relating some of his adventures while in the Pongola
country, elephant-shooting, he having lately returned from this trip.
In the centre of this glade there was a pond of water that the elephants
frequently used for a bath, or to drink from. We had seen no fresh
traces of either buffalo or other large game for some days, and in
consequence we supposed they had journeyed up the coast for a change.
I had brought a small double-barrelled gun, instead of the heavy rifle
that I should have used had I expected elephants; whilst Monyosi had his
old ship's musket.
Suddenly there was a great cracking in the bush, and we both jumped on
our feet; the branches seemed all alive, shaking and cracking as though
a hurricane were blowing.
We eagerly watched for an explanation, although, both being pretty well
up to "sign," we guessed that the disturbance was caused by elephants.
At about fifty yards from us the first giant broke cover; he came out
very quickly, gave a grumble, and ran down to the water, giving a shrill
scream as he reached it. This was apparently a signal to others that
all was right, as they came out of the bush immediately: at least forty
elephants were in "the open" at one time; some were large fellows,
whilst others were only babies by comparison. Two or three of them, on
coming to the water, lay down in the mud and rolled, whilst a big
bull-elephant sent the water from his trunk in streams over his body.
We watched them a minute or so, to see what they would do, when Monyosi
by accident let go his dog, he having with difficulty held him tight
since the appearance of the herd. The cur immediately ran down and
barked at the elephants, whereupon they turned round and rushed towards
the bush which they had just left. I aimed at a large bull, taking the
spot between the eye and the ear as my target: I heard the bullet
strike, and then gave him a second shot on the shoulder. The distance
was about seventy yards, and my gun a fourteen-bore. This latter
circumstance was of course a great drawback, still, however, I expected
some notice to be taken of the two wounds; but the elephant never shook
his head. Coiling up his trunk, he charged straight into the forest,
followed by the whole herd, crushing and smashing all before them, like
a parcel of runaway railway-engines. Monyosi told me afterwards that it
was fortunate none of the herd had charged us, as there was so little
cover that we might very probably have got the worst of a hand-to-trunk
fight. This Kaffir always pleased me very much by the manner in which
he spoored; I could safely trust him on the spoor, and he would follow
with the accuracy of a bloodhound. Several of the men whom I employed
would often go wrong, and lose the footmarks of some particular animal
in a herd, and thereby cause considerable delay.
On one occasion I was in a very awkward position with a troop of
elephants.
I had left my horse to graze, and was walking round the bush, near some
deserted Kaffir gardens. I was searching for buck, and had no idea of
elephants being near. A fine black bush-buck gave me a chance, and I
fired at him; he bolted away into the bush, and I followed. There was
only one elephant-path, and it was so overgrown and blocked up that I
could with difficulty force my way along it. I kept a good lookout for
the buck's spoor, which I followed for about a quarter of a mile into
the bush, when I suddenly heard an elephant move close to me. I lay
down on the ground to try and get a glimpse of him, and soon saw a whole
string of elephants moving along very quickly, distant about sixty
yards. I knew at once, by their way of moving, that they were after me,
either from curiosity or rage. My shot at the buck had made them
acquainted with my presence. They seemed to be moving round so as to
cross my footsteps, and thus to block up the only path by which I could
retreat. I feared also, that, when they caught my scent, they would
hunt me up.
Only a few days previous I had found the skeleton of a Kaffir in the
bush with the ribs smashed, evidently the work of some powerful pressure
or blow; and Inyovu seemed to think that it had been done by an
elephant's foot.
I did not like the look of things, but there was very little time in
which to make up my mind; so turning, I ran as well as I could down the
path up which I had just come, hoping thus to get along in front of the
elephants and before they could cross my spoor. I could hear them
crushing through the bush nearly in front of me, and was afraid that I
was already blocked in, but they were still some yards distant; the
branches struck me some smart whacks on the face, and one or two thorns
buried themselves in my legs. I won the race, however, though only by a
few yards, as the elephants were close to the path as I passed them:
they heard and smelt me, and gave tremendous shrill screams. I kept on,
and was soon clear of the bush, but did not cease looking behind me
until on my pony's back. This sort of work certainly keeps one up to
the mark, and may be decidedly called sharp practice.