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.
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