e brushwood. I sprang behind
a tree, as the only place of safety, when what was my dismay, to see, as
he passed, Jan clinging to his hind leg. How the black had got there
was the puzzle, and how to rescue him from his awkward position was the
next question to be solved. Should he let go, he might naturally expect
to receive a kick from the elephant's hind foot which would effectually
knock all the breath out of his body; and yet, should he not get free,
he might be carried miles away and perish miserably. My only hope was
at once to mortally wound the elephant. Not a moment was to be lost if
I was to save poor Jan. Just then the elephant caught sight of the ox,
and stopped as if considering if he should attack it. Whether he was
aware that Jan was clinging to his leg or not, I could not tell, as the
black's weight no more impeded him than a fly would a man when running.

The ox, instead of endeavouring to escape, presented its head to the
elephant, though it trembled in every limb.

Jan, who seemed paralysed with fear, did not let go as I thought he
would have done, and his best chance would have been to spring back,
even though he had fallen on the ground directly behind the elephant. I
did not like to shout to him for fear of attracting the creature's
attention.

Now or never was my time to save the poor fellow. I stepped from under
cover of the tree, and, levelling my rifle, aimed at a spot directly
behind the ear.

The huge monster did not move, then presently it began swaying to and
fro. I shouted to Jan to leap off and hurried on to help him. Before I
reached the spot, he had followed my advice, and hardly had he done so,
than down came the elephant with a crash, to the ground. Jan raised a
shout of triumph.

"De master hab done well!" he cried out. I could not help joining him,
and even the ox gave a bellow of satisfaction as he saw his huge foe
stretched lifeless on the ground.

We at once set to work to extract the tusks with our axes. Rather than
leave them, we agreed to take them with us. We therefore placed them on
the back of our ox, together with some slices of elephant meat which
would prevent the necessity of shooting game during the day.

We now pushed forward for the cave where we had left our goods, and met
with no adventures worth noticing. We saw numerous herds of antelopes,
giraffes, and a few ostriches. The latter I would have killed if I
could, for the sake of their valua