or two unsuccessful attempts
to take aim.

"What an aggravating thing!" exclaimed Peterkin in a whisper.

At that moment I happened to cast my eyes across the river, and the
reader may judge of my surprise when I beheld two elephants standing
among the trees. They stood so silently and so motionless, and were so
like in colour to the surrounding foliage, that we had actually
approached to within about thirty yards without observing them. I
touched Peterkin on the shoulder, and pointed to them without saying a
word. The expression of amazement that instantly overspread his
features showed that he also saw them.

"The rifle, Ralph," he said, in a low, excited whisper.

I handed it to him. With careful deliberation he took aim, and fired at
the animal nearest to us. The heavy ball entered its huge body just
behind the shoulder. Both elephants tossed up their trunks, and
elevating their great ears they dashed furiously into the bush; but the
one that had been hit, after plunging head foremost down a low bank fell
to the ground with a heavy crash, quite dead.

It was a splendid shot. The natives, who almost immediately after came
up screaming with delight, could scarcely believe their eyes. They
dashed across the river in the canoe, while some of them, regardless of
the alligators that might be hidden there, sprang into the water and
swam over.

"I'm sorry we did not get the duck, however," observed Peterkin, as we
returned to the place where we had left the canoe. "Elephant meat is
coarse, nasty stuff, and totally unfit for civilised mouths, though
these niggers seem to relish it amazingly."

"You forget the baked foot," said I.

"Well, so I did. It was pretty good, certainly; but that's the only
part o' the brute that's fit to eat."

Soon after this the canoe came back and took us over the river; and we
breakfasted on the side where the elephant had fallen, in order to allow
the natives to cut off such portions of the meat as they required, and
to secure the tusks. Then we continued our journey, and at night
encamped near a grove of palm-trees which Makarooroo had described to
us, and where we were soon joined by him and Jack, who told us that he
had got on well, during the day--that he had shot an antelope, and had
seen a zebra and a rhinoceros, besides a variety of smaller game. He
also told us that Okandaga was encamped in a place of safety a few miles
to the right of our position, and that she h