from the jungle, and
walk, with sweeping step, straight up to the tree. He seemed to have no
suspicion of any danger; but placed himself at once alongside the trunk
of the acacia--in the very position and on the side Swartboy had said he
would take. From his spoor the Bushman knew he had been in the habit of
so standing.

His head was turned from the hunters, but not so much as to prevent them
from seeing a pair of splendid tusks,--six feet long at the least.

While gazing in admiration at these rich trophies, they saw the animal
point his proboscis upward, and discharge a vast shower of water into
the leaves, which afterwards fell dripping in bright globules over his
body!

Swartboy said that he drew the water from his stomach. Although
closet-naturalists deny this, it must have been so; for shortly after,
he repeated the act again and again--the quantity of water at each
discharge being as great as before. It was plain that his trunk, large
as it was, could not have contained it all.

He seemed to enjoy this "shower-bath;" and the hunters did not wonder at
it, for they themselves, suffering at the time from heat and thirst,
would have relished something of a similar kind. As the crystal drops
fell back from the acacia leaves, the huge animal was heard to utter a
low grunt expressive of gratification. The hunters hoped that this was
the prelude to his sleep, and watched him with intense earnestness.

It proved to be so.

As they sat gazing, they noticed that his head sunk a little, his ears
ceased their flapping, his tail hung motionless, and his trunk, now
twined around his tusks, remained at rest.

They gaze intently. Now they see his body droop a little to one
side--now it touches the tree--there is heard a loud crack, followed by
a confused crashing of branches--and the huge dark body of the elephant
sinks upon its side.

At the same instant a terrible scream drowns all other sounds, causing
the forest to echo, and the very leaves to quake. Then follows a
confused roaring, mingled with the noise of cracking branches, and the
struggles of the mighty brute where he lies kicking his giant limbs
along the earth, in the agonies of death!

The hunters remain in the tree. They see that the elephant is down--that
he is impaled. There will be no need for their puny weapons. Their game
has already received the death-wound.

The struggle is of short duration. The painful breathing that precedes
death is heard iss