spoor, but it was certain that the herd was a very large one, and an
inspection of the footprints left in the soft soil about the margin of
the pool showed that there were several animals of gigantic size in it.
The spoor led away to the eastward, in the direction from which I had
seen the herd approaching on the previous evening, and the passage of so
many heavy animals had trampled the long, parched grass so flat that the
trail was as plain as a road to follow, and we proceeded along it at an
easy canter.

We had been progressing in this fashion for about three hours, and had
covered some twenty miles of perfectly flat country, when we observed
that the character of the scenery ahead was changing, the scattered
clumps of bush through which we had been riding giving place to forest
trees of various descriptions, imparting quite a park-like aspect to the
scene. And here we came to a halt for the purpose of setting up the
mark which was to give Jan, my Hottentot driver, the signal to outspan,
for Piet was strongly of opinion that the herd of elephant would be
found somewhere in the forest ahead, either browsing upon the small and
tender shoots of the trees or sheltering from the sun beneath their
leafy shade. This done, we looked to our weapons, satisfying ourselves
that they were in order for immediate use, and then again proceeded
along the trail, this time at a walking pace.

The trail continued to lead straight toward the forest; but when we had
proceeded about a mile farther the spoor showed that the herd had
gradually scattered, some of the animals seeming to have halted for a
time to feed, while others had swerved off to right and left, as though
to enter the forest individually, instead of in a compact body. We were
thus enabled to pick up the spoor of particular animals, and, coming at
length upon that of an elephant of extraordinary size, I determined to
follow it, and did so right up to the outskirts of the forest. Here we
dismounted, and, leaving our horses, with their bridles trailing on the
ground, where we could easily find them again, but where they were not
likely to be sighted by the elephants, continued to follow on foot the
spoor of the big beast that we were after. It led deviously, with many
twists and turnings, toward the deepest part of the forest, and when we
had been following it for about three-quarters of an hour we were
suddenly halted by the sound of a distant swishing and cracking of