t first met with now
again espied me, and, trumpeting and shrieking, came dashing through the
woods towards me, tearing down the branches, and trampling the young
saplings under foot. Once I stopped and began to load my gun, but again
the elephants advanced, and I feared that I should not have time to do
so before they were upon me. I continued to retreat in the same
uncomfortable way as before, scrambling over the fallen trunks, and
expecting to see every moment a huge boa, or some venomous snake, dart
out from among them. I was thus scrambling on, endeavouring to increase
my speed, when one of the dangers I dreaded occurred. I slipped, and my
foot catching in a creeper, held me firmly, while I fell forward amid
the tangled mass of creepers, out of which I could by no efforts release
myself. I struggled in vain. The trumpetings and cries of the
elephants sounded loudly in my ears. Just as I had given myself up for
lost, a shot whistled over my head. The nearest animal staggered
forward till he was within half-a-dozen paces of me. Another and
another shot followed. One of them appeared to have been equally
successful with the first, for another elephant, turning round as if to
move off, sank hopelessly on the ground. Loud shouts followed, and
presently I saw my cousin and Senhor Silva forcing their way through the
forest, while Chickango darted out from behind a tree where he had taken
post, and fired, just at the moment to save my life. The other
elephants, frightened by the sound, lifted up their trunks and rushed
back into the forest, the crashing sound of falling boughs and the loud
tramp of their feet showing the direction they had taken.

Two male elephants with fine tusks, and a cow, were the result of our
adventure. The tusks were too valuable to be left, so we immediately
set to work to cut them from the heads of the animals.

"Pity Bakeles no know of dis," said Chickango. "Dey come and have great
feast, and t'ank us."

Stanley and our Portuguese friend told me that they had been directed
towards the spot on hearing our first shot, and that then the trumpeting
of the elephants had reached their ears. This had made them hurry
forward to our assistance. I was thankful that they had arrived thus
opportunely, or I believe that my adventures in Africa would have been
terminated. The weight of the tusks was considerable. We slung them,
however, on two poles, and carried them between us, though dar