uit, but common sense suggested a wait,
for a pleasant grove was found close to where the forest seemed to
commence in a very dense thicket, and here a good halt was made.

The sun poured down here with greater violence than they had felt
before, and after lightening their load once more by reducing their
stock of provisions, in spite of their efforts such a drowsiness set in
that in a very short time the whole party were asleep.

Dick was awakened by Coffee laying his hand upon his mouth and shaking
him, whispering the word "Elephant!" in his ear, as he opened his eyes;
while at the same time, Chicory and the General were performing the like
duty for Jack and his father.

Obeying the advice of the General, they all stole off cautiously towards
the dense thicket close at hand, from which came the noise of breaking
branches, and strange snorts and sighs mingled with the squirting and
splashing of water.

In a few words the General explained that the elephants had returned
upon their track to the forest in front, and upon cautiously creeping
from bush to bush to stalk them, each of the party under the guidance of
a Zulu, they found that the dense thicket was a mere band, and that all
beyond it was open park-like land, with several pools scattered about,
in which the elephants were standing, splashing the water, sucking it up
and squirting it over their dark skins, uttering a low sigh of
satisfaction from time to time.

Dick was in an unlucky position, for, while both his father and Jack
were so placed as to get an easy shot at an elephant, he could only fire
at long range. This, however, he decided to do as soon as his father
and brother had had a shot.

Meanwhile Mr Rogers had marked out for himself a fine young elephant
with moderate tusks. There was one with bigger tusks behind, but not
being armed with an elephant gun he felt that it would be better to make
sure of the smaller one than risk the loss of all; so approaching
cautiously he did not perceive that the ground before him was swampy,
and fell headlong in the mud and water.

He lay perfectly still, though, and fortunately--unfortunately for him--
the herd did not take flight, but attributing the noise to one of their
fellows, they went on splashing and cooling their sides, breaking off
boughs to tuck into their capacious mouths, writhing and twisting their
probosces about the while.

After a few moments Dick saw his father rise, walk forward to the si