e of great service to them, and with these they
were often able to overtake the elephant, yet they as often lost their
great game, and it is more easy to do so than most persons imagine.

But with dogs to join in the hunt, the result would be quite different.
It is true these animals cannot pull down an elephant, nor do him the
slightest injury; but they can follow him whithersoever he may go, and
by their barking bring him to a stand.

Another valuable service which the dogs perform, is in drawing the
attention of the elephant away from the hunters. The huge quadruped when
enraged is, as we have already seen, exceedingly dangerous. On such
occasions he will charge upon the noisy dogs, mistaking them for his
real assailants. This, of course, gives the hunter a good opportunity of
delivering his fire, and avoiding the deadly encounter of the elephant.

Now in several elephant-hunts which they had lately made, our hunters
had run some very narrow risks. Their quaggas were neither so manageable
nor so quick in their movements as horses would have been, and this
rendered the hazard still greater. Some of them might one day fall a
victim. So feared Von Bloom; and he would gladly have given for a number
of dogs an elephant's tusk a-piece--even though they were the most
worthless of curs. Indeed, their quality is but of slight importance.
Any dogs that can trace the elephant and pester him with their barking
would do.

Von Bloom even thought of taming some hyenas, and training them to the
hunt. This idea was by no means quixotic. The hyena is often used for
such a purpose, and performs even better than many kinds of dogs.

One day Von Bloom was pondering over this subject. He was seated on a
little platform that had been constructed very high up--near the top of
the nwana-tree--from which a view could be had of the whole country
around. It was a favourite resort of the field-cornet--his smoking-room,
in fact--where he went every evening to enjoy a quiet pull out of his
great meerschaum. His face was turned upon the plain that stretched from
the border of the _bosch_ as far as the eye could reach.

While quietly puffing away, his attention was attracted by some animals
standing at a distance off upon the plain. The brilliant colour of their
bodies had caught his eye.

They were of a lively sienna colour over the back and sides, and white
underneath, with a list of black upon the outside of the legs, and some
black stripe