第86章

On the way to the tent I got a shot at a deer at full gallop on 'old Jack.' It was a doe, who bounded over the plain at a speed that soon out-distanced my horse, and I took a flying shot from the saddle with one of my No.10 rifles.I did not get the deer, although she was badly wounded, as we followed the blood-tracks for some distance through thick jungle without success.

This was altogether a blank day; and having thoroughly disturbed this part of the 'Park,' we determined to up stick and move our quarters on the following day towards the 'Cave,' according to the plan that we had agreed upon for beating the country.

Dec.3.--With the cook and the canteen in company we started at break of day, leaving the servants to pack up and bring the coolies and tents after us.By this arrangement we were sure of our breakfast wherever we went, and we were free from the noise of our followers, whose scent alone was enough to alarm miles of country down wind.We had our guns all loaded, and carried by our respective gun-bearers close to the horses, and, with Banda, old Medima, and a couple of trackers, we were ready for anything.

We had ridden about six miles when we suddenly came upon fresh elephant-tracks in a grassy hollow, surrounded by low rocky hills.We immediately sent the men off upon the tracks, while we waited upon a high plateau of rock for their return.They came back in about a quarter of an hour, having found the elephants within half a mile.

They were in high lemon grass, and upon arrival at the spot we could distinguish nothing, as the grass rose some feet above our heads.It was like shooting in the dark, and we ascended some rising ground to improve our position.Upon arrival on this spot we looked over an undulating sea of this grass, interspersed with rocky hills and small patches of forest.Across a valley we now distinguished the herd, much scattered, going off in all directions.They had winded us, and left us but a poor chance of catching them in such ground.Of course we lost no time in giving chase.The sun was intensely hot--not a breath of air was stirring, and the heat in the close, parched grass was overpowering.

With the length of start that the elephants had got, we were obliged to follow at our best pace, which, over such tangled ground, was very fatiguing; fortunately, however, the elephants had not yet seen us, and they had accordingly halted now and then, instead of going straight off.

There were only four elephants together, and, by a great chance we came up with them just as they were entering a jungle.I got a shot at the last elephant and killed him, but the others put on more steam, and all separated, fairly beating us, as we were almost used up by the heat.

This was very bad luck, and we returned in despair of finding the scattered herd.We had proceeded some distance through the high grass, having just descended a steep, rocky hill, when we suddenly observed two elephants approaching along the side of the very hill that we had just left.Had we remained in the centre of the hill, we should have met them as they advanced.One was a large female, and the other was most probably her calf, being little more than half-grown.

It was a beautiful sight to see the caution with which they advanced, and we lay down to watch them without being seen.They were about 200yards from us, and, as they slowly advanced along the steep hillside, they occasionally halted, and, with their trunks thrown up in the air, they endeavoured, but in vain, to discover the enemy that had so recently disturbed them.We had the wind all right, and we now crept softly up the hill, so as to meet them at right angles.The hillside was a mass of large rocks overgrown and concealed by the high lemon grass, and it was difficult to move without making a noise, or falling into the cavities between the rocks.

I happened to be at the head of our line, and, long before I expected the arrival of the elephants, I heard a rustling in the grass, and the next moment I saw the large female passing exactly opposite me, within five or six paces.I was on half-cock at the time, as the ground was dangerous to pass over with a gun on full cock, but I was just quick enough to knock her over before the high grass should conceal her at another step.She fell in a small chasm, nearly upsetting the young elephant, who was close behind her.Wortley killed him, while I took the last kick out of the old one by another shot, as she was still moving.

We had thus only killed three elephants out of the herd, and, without seeing more, we returned to the horses.

On finding them, we proceeded on our road towards the `Cave,' but had not ridden above two miles farther when we again came upon fresh tracks of elephants.Sending on our trackers like hounds upon their path, we sat down and breakfasted under a tree.We had hardly finished the last cup of coffee when the trackers returned, having found another herd.

They were not more than half a mile distant, and they were reported to be in open forest.on the banks of a deep and broad river.

Our party was altogether too large for elephant shooting, as we never could get close up to them without being discovered..As usual, they winded us before we got near them, but by quick running we overtook them just as they arrived on the banks of the river and took to water.

Wortley knocked over one fellow just as he thought he was safe in running along the bottom of a deep gully; I floored his companion at the same moment, thus choking up the gully, and six elephants closely packed together forded the deep stream.The tops of their backs and heads were alone above water.I fired the four-ounce into the nape of one elephant's neck as the herd crossed, and he immediately turned over and lay foundered in the middle of the river, which was sixty or seventy yards across.