ng attitude occasionally indicated
that he was ready to charge an enemy. Suddenly, as though a fresh cause
for suspicion had arisen, the mighty bull raised his trunk, and gave
three sharp, shrill, and powerful trumpet-notes, which might have been
heard at a distance of two miles. Immediately a deep rumbling sound was
uttered by all the other members of the herd, who stood instantly like
so many bronze figures, the only indications of life being the shaking
of their huge ears, which from time to time were erected, and then
depressed. During fully two minutes this watchful attitude was
maintained, after which one deep note was sounded by the leading bull,
and the whole party strode onwards. They were, unluckily for them,
advancing to destruction; for each hunter was now within fifty yards of
the leader, and several rifles were already aiming at various parts of
the grand-looking animal. A moment's silence, broken only by the heavy
tread of the elephants, and then the stillness of the wilderness was
broken by the report of half-a-dozen heavy rifles. In an instant the
scene was changed. The leading bull elephant reeled as he received the
leaden hail; but his strong frame yet retained plenty of life, and,
uttering a fearful shriek, he charged headlong at the tree behind which
two of the hunters were concealed. The tree was large and strong, and
the men trusted that it would stand even the rush of the elephant; but
so great was the momentum of the vast bull, that the tree snapped as
though it were a mere sapling, and the two hunters narrowly escaped
being crushed by the tree, or trodden under foot by the enraged monster.
As he charged onward, blinded with rage, he received another volley
from the second barrel of the Boers' rifles; bleeding from a dozen
wounds, he still held on his mad career, until he could no longer
withstand the shock to his system; he then suddenly stopped, threw up
his trunk as though signalling his defeat, and sank back on the ground,
the earth shaking and resounding with the fall. Following their leader
until the smell of blood warned them that it was dangerous to pursue his
course, the remaining elephants spread out on each side, and formed two
parties; but their course was undecided, for their leader had been
slain, and for a time they had no confidence in a successor. The
hunters, having almost instantly reloaded their rifles, ran forward in
order to intercept the elephants and cut them off