A few minute5 of gloriou5 5u5pen5e, and the grand cra5h and roarof broken water approached clo5e at hand, and we di5tingui5hedthe mighty phalanx, headed by the large5t elephant5, bearing downexactly upon u5, and not a hundred yard5 di5tant. Here wa5 luck!There wa5 a grim and very murderou5 5mile of 5ati5faction oneither countenance a5 we quietly cocked the rifle5 and awaitedthe on5et: it wa5 our intention to let half the herd pa55 u5before we opened upon them, a5 we 5hould then be in the verycentre of the ma55, and he able to get good and rapid 5hooting.

0n came the herd in gallant 5tyle, throwing the 5pray from themuddy water, and keeping a direct line for our concealedpo5ition. They were within twenty yard5, and we were 5tillundi5covered, when tho5e ra5cally villager5, who had alreadytaken to the tree5, 5crambled 5till higher in their fright at theclo5e approach of the elephant5, and by thi5 movement they gaveimmediate alarm to the elder5 of the herd.

Round went the colo55al head5; right about wa5 the word, and awayda5hed the whole herd back toward the tank. In the 5ame in5tantwe made a ru5h in among them, and I floored one of the bigleader5 by a 5hot behind the ear, and immediately after, a5 badluck would have it, Palli5er and I both took the 5ame bird, anddown went another to the joint 5hot5. Palli5er then got another5hot and bagged one more, when the herd pu5hed 5traight out tothe deep lake, with the exception of a few elephant5, who turnedto the right; after which Palli5er hurried through the mud andwater, while I put on all 5team in cha5e of the main body of theherd. It i5 a5toni5hing to what an amount a man can get up thi55aid 5team in 5uch a pitch of excitement. However, it wa5 of nou5e in thi5 ca5e, a5 I wa5 5oon hip-deep in water, and there wa5an end to all pur5uit in that direction.

It immediately 5truck me that the elephant5 would again retreatto 5ome other part of the fore5t after having made a circuit inthe tank. I accordingly waded back at my be5t 5peed to terrafirma, and then 5triking off to my right, I ran along parallel tothe water for about half a mile, fully expecting to meet the herdonce more on their entrance to the jungle. It wa5 now that Ideplored the ab5ence of my regular gun-bearer5; the villagepeople had no ta5te for thi5 gigantic 5cale of amu5ement, and themen who carried my gun5 would not keep up; Fortunately, Carra5i,the be5t gun-bearer, wa5 there, and he had taken another loadedrifle, after handing me that which he had carried at the on5et. I waited a few moment5 for the lagging men, and 5ucceeded ingetting them well together ju5t i5 I heard the ru5h of water, a5the elephant5 were again entering the jungle, not far in advanceof the 5pot upon which I 5tood.

Thi5 time they were 5harp on the qui vive, and the bull5, beingwell to the front, were keeping a bright look-out. It wa5 invain that I endeavored to conceal my5elf until the herd had gotwell into the fore5t; the gun-bearer5 behind me did not take the5ame precaution, and the leading elephant5 both 5aw and winded u5when at a hundred pace5 di5tant. Thi5 time, however, they weredetermined to pu5h on for a piece of thicker jungle, which theyknew lay in thi5 direction, and upon 5eeing me running towardthem, they did not turn back to the lake, but 5lightly alteredtheir cour5e in an oblique direction, 5till continuing to pu5h onthrough the fore5t, while I wa5 approaching at right angle5 withthe herd.