t back
behind the tree and instantly followed, working round the bole as the
elephant advanced, so as to keep it between her and ourselves. Whether
or not she had winded us I cannot say, but I am of opinion that she must
have done so; be that as it may, she continued her furious charge,
actually grazing the other side of the tree behind which we were hiding
as she passed, and in another instant had disappeared again, leaving a
broad trail of trampled undergrowth and broken saplings behind her. For
the ensuing five minutes we remained where we were, fully expecting the
irate beast to return in search of us; but hearing nothing more of her
we resumed our way.

About a quarter of a mile farther on we became aware that elephants were
not far-distant, for away ahead of us there was a sound of heavy
movement, accompanied by a good deal of grunting. Then suddenly an
angry squeal pealed out upon the startled air, immediately followed by a
violent clashing of tusks, furious trumpetings, and a tremendous
commotion generally.

"Olifants fighting, baas!" excitedly whispered Piet in my ear. "Now's
de time for us: come on quick, baas, we get close up to 'em and they
never see us; then you get 'em bofe."

"Right you are, boy," I returned; "come along; they cannot be very far
ahead."

We pushed on, not troubling ourselves very much now as to whether or not
we made any noise, for the forest was fairly ringing with the squeals
and trumpetings of the contending beasts; and presently we caught an
occasional fleeting glimpse, through the interlacing foliage, of their
twisting and rushing bodies as they moved hither and thither. But we
were not yet near enough to see them distinctly; we therefore forced our
way a few yards farther, until, peering through the tangled undergrowth,
we obtained a tolerably good view of a little clearing of about an acre
and a half in extent, in the midst of which two gigantic tuskers were
circling round each other, looking for an opening, and occasionally
rushing in with lowered heads to plunge their already ensanguined tusks
into each other's bodies.

Kneeling down among the underwood in such a position that I could get a
clear view of the amphitheatre without running much risk of being myself
seen, I found a gnarled stump of a creeper that afforded a very
convenient rest for my heavy double-barrelled elephant gun, and, roughly
levelling the weapon, awaited a favourable opportunity to fire. A few
m