we could not tell:
at all events, it came rushing on furiously towards us.

"Fly behind a tree!" cried my cousin, suiting the action to the word;
but the elephant had his eye fixed on me, and scarcely had I reached the
trunk of the one I had selected when he was close to me on the other
side. Confused by the fearful noise he made, I knew not which way to
turn. He seemed in no way disposed to quit me. He kept dodging round
and round the tree. "Run to the next tree!" I heard Stanley cry out.
"You may get up it and escape him!" Glancing over my shoulder, I saw
that the boughs were low down, and being a good climber, I had fair
hopes of success. It seemed my only prospect of escaping a fearful
death. I watched my opportunity, and when the elephant was on the other
side of the big tree, I ran to the next, and springing to a bough,
caught it, and soon swung myself up to the next. He caught sight of me,
however, shrieking and trumpeting with rage. Even now I did not feel
that I was out of his reach. I had just time to scramble up to the
boughs above my head, when he was close under the tree. As I did so my
cap fell off. I knew that the animal could reach to a great height with
his trunk, and did not feel secure till I had clambered up to one still
higher. I was then able to look down on my assailant, when I saw that
he had seized my cap as it fell; and that probably saved my leg being
seized by his trunk, for he could without difficulty have reached it. I
could only hope that my cousin would in the meantime be able to reload
and kill the creature.

I looked round, but could not see him. Presently I observed two young
elephants coming out of the bush, when the old one, giving a glance up
at me to see that I was safe, ran towards them and began fondling them
with his trunk; the infant monsters (for they were as big as cart
horses) returning his caresses with their own proboscises. What had
become of my friends I could not tell. Every instant I expected to hear
the sound of Stanley's rifle, but it was silent. I now began to fear
that some accident had happened to him, for I was very sure that he
would not have deserted me. Jack and the boys were, I hoped, safe; and
I knew that the blacks could very well take care of themselves. At all
events, I thought, Senhor Silva will return--though, to be sure, he is
no sportsman, and may not wish to encounter the elephant. By degrees
the elephant's anger seemed to aba