ire. We were not a dozen yards from
him, but so thick was the jungle that nothing of him could be seen.
Suddenly the peculiar "prur-r-r" sound I have described was heard. I
saw Nowell and Dango exchange glances. Suddenly the almost perfect
silence was broken by a loud shrill trumpeting, followed immediately by
a terrific crash such as an elephant only can make, as with his huge
body he pushes through the jungle.

"Here they come," cried Nowell; "it is not a single rogue--there may be
a dozen; we must turn them, or we shall be done for. Fire at the
biggest, and perhaps the rest will take to flight."

I had no time to ask him how he knew this. In truth, I am not ashamed
to say that I felt as I had never felt before. Just as I expected to
see the herd of monsters appearing through the jungle, and either to see
one of them roll over from the effect of my rifle, or to have one of his
huge feet placed upon me, or to feel myself wriggling, like a worm in
the beak of a bird, in his trunk, Nowell shouted out, "They have winded
us--they have turned--they are running. On, on--follow, follow."

This was more easily said than done. The herd had, as we soon found,
formed a lane; but thousands of thorny creepers, from the size of cables
to the thinnest wires, still hung across it from bush to bush, and
cactus plants, from twenty feet and upwards in height, many overthrown
and partly crushed, presented their sword-like points as a
_chevaux-de-frise_ to impede our advance. Still, in the excitement of
the chase we scarcely felt the pricks and punctures our bodies were
receiving, or saw the tatters to which our clothes were being reduced.
On we pushed, creeping under or jumping over obstacles, or hacking at
them with our knives--Dango and the natives using their axes with great
effect. It seemed wonderful how their nearly naked skins did not get
torn off their bodies; but by long practice they knew how to avoid
obstacles far better than we did. The elephants were going along before
us at a great rate, for at least twenty minutes had passed since we had
last seen them; still, we could not tell at what moment we might again
be upon them. Dango once more cautioned us to be ready. Not a sound
was heard. The boughs were still quivering which they must have set in
motion. We knew that we must be again close upon them. Stealthily as
North American Indians on a war trail we crept on. I began to feel much
more confidence than I