r thrust his tusks into him, and also would push him down and get him
between his front and hind feet, and kick him backwards and forwards
till he killed him. So, with this description of the elephant's
proceedings, which I afterwards found was quite correct, we thought it
best to be very cautious in our approach to the animal.

The sun had risen its highest in the sky, when we sat down to rest and
to listen; for we knew that we were close to the elephant, as the
footprints were quite fresh. We talked in whispers and avoided any
noise, whilst we were on the alert for any sound that should indicate
the whereabouts of the elephant. As we sat quietly thus waiting, Inyoni
pointed upwards, and gave a grunt of delight: we looked up and saw a
vulture slowly circling in the sky and nearly above us. "Elephant going
to die," said Inyoni; "vulture knows it." We immediately followed on
the elephant's tracks, and, after advancing about two hundred paces, we
heard a noise in front of us, and saw the elephant lying on its side,
whilst every now and then it swung its trunk about and struck the
bushes, thus making the noise we had heard. The elephant was dying, its
vast frame overpowered by the subtle poison of the Bushman's arrow. We
kept at a short distance from the animal and watched it, as it gradually
got weaker and weaker, and at length lay motionless. We then went close
up to it, and found that it really was dead. It was a monster with
great tusks as big round as my thigh, and as it lay on the ground it was
far higher than I was as I stood up.

"The other elephant must be dead too," I said, "for I hit that also with
an arrow."

"Yes," replied my companions, "and we shall find that too: perhaps
vultures will show us where it is, if we watch."

We now agreed that Tembile should go as quickly as he could to our
village, and call all the people to come and cut up the elephant, whilst
Inyoni and I kept watch near it. So Tembile started off, whilst we who
remained agreed to sleep turn and turn about, as we were both very
tired.

I had a good sleep, and then Inyoni lay down whilst I kept watch. I
could not keep my eyes from the dead elephant which lay a few paces from
us. It looked such an enormous creature, that I could hardly believe
its death had been caused by so trifling a wound as that given by the
small arrow; but the poison used by the Bushmen is powerful beyond
belief, and they kill all animals with their arrow