ir roots and branches across the river
and in the water. No animal, not a tree climber, could possibly cross
the stream on account of the straight up and down banks.

So after a time we crept along through the grass at the edge of the
stream until we reached a point probably forty yards from where the
elephants doubtless were, although quite hidden from our view. There was
still a tremendous threshing in the low branches of the trees and in
order to see the animals we had to creep cautiously across the peninsula
to a point about half-way, where a large, rotten, dead tree stood. This
gave us cover and from its screen we could see the three elephants, only
fifteen yards away. The head of the big one was still up and it was
turned directly at us. It was so close and so big that the effect was
terrifying.

"_Mkubwa_," whispered Sulimani, and that means "big." So the big
elephant, instead of being dead, was still alive, with an impassable
river at its feet on one side, a dense tangle of trees on two other
sides, and with a narrow open aisle between it and ourselves. The two
smaller elephants were at its side. To see to fire I had to step out
from the tree and expose myself, and as I stepped out the wounded beast
saw me and reared its head as if to make a final rush. I fired
point-blank; it swung around and a second shot sent it down. Hassan
grabbed my arm and told me to hurry back before the two smaller
elephants charged. If they did so it might be necessary to shoot them,
which we didn't want to do. So we ran swiftly back to the edge of the
river and waited. But all was quiet, and after a time we climbed across
the river on the interlacing branches, circled around to where the
elephants were visible just across the stream and scared the two smaller
ones away. Once more we swung across from branch to branch over the
swift waters of the river and reached the other bank where lay the
mountainous bulk of the dead elephant. It was a young bull about eight
feet high and with two well-shaped tusks twenty-two inches long in the
open, or approximately thirty-eight inches in all.

Sulimani was sent to notify Mr. Akeley and Mr. Clark, and after a long
search found them, and together they arrived a couple of hours later,
followed by gunbearers and saises. Mr. Stephenson had gone back to camp
to see that salt and supplies, with one tent, were sent out.

Then began the work of measuring the elephant, a work that must be done
most tho