Part 74 (1/2)
He need not have run a single step; for the elephant, aswaste the trees and branches in his onward course The huge quadruped did not stop, till he had put reeable adventure!
Von Bloo to Swartboy's rescue; but they wereBushman, as he returned from his miraculous escape
The hunters, ere noarmed to their work, proposed to follow up the spoor; but Swartboy, who had enough of that ”old rogue,” declared that there would be not the slightest chance of again cos; and as they had neither, spooring him any farther would be quite useless
Von Bloom saw that there was truth in the reret the loss of his horses The elephant, though easily overtaken on horseback, or with dogs to bring him to bay, can as easily escape froht, it is quite a lost labour to follow him farther
It was now too late in the day to seek for other elephants; and with a feeling of disappointave up the chase, and turned their steps in the direction of the camp
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE MISSING HUNTER, AND THE WILDEBEESTS
A well-known proverb says that ” the caht there They saw Totty with Truey and Jan standing by the head of the ladder; but there was soht Where was Hans?
As soon as the hunters caht, Jan and Truey ran down the rounds, and out to lances that bespoke ill tidings, and their words soon confirone away hours ago--they knew not where, they feared so had happened to him,--they feared he was lost!
”But what took him away from the camp?” asked Von Bloom, surprised and troubled at the news
That, and only that could they answer A nu, the children said,--had coun and followed the Truey and Jan to keep in the tree, and not coone only a very little while, and they needn't fear
This was all they knew They could not even tell what direction he had taken He went by the lower end of the vley; but soon the bushes hid him from their view, and they saw no more of hio,--in theafter the hunters therew uneasy; but they thought he had fallen in with papa and Hendrik, and was helping the
”Had they heard any report of a gun?”
No--they had listened for that, but heard none The aniun ready; and they supposed he had to follow soht be the reason they had heard no shot
”What sort of anih, as they drank They had never seen any of the kind before They were large ani tufts of hair growing out of their breasts, and hanging down between their fore-legs They were as big as ponies, said Jan, and very like ponies They curvetted and capered about just as ponies do soht that they looked more like lions!
”Lions!” ejaculated her father and Hendrik, with an accent that betokened alarain affirmed, and Totty said the sareat drove, not less than fifty” They could not have counted the fro each other with their horns
”Ha! they had horns then?” interrogated Von Bloom, relieved by this announcement
Certainly they had horns, replied all three
They had seen the horns, sharp-pointed ones, which first came down, and then turned upwards in front of the animals' faces They had manes too, Jan affirmed; and thick necks that curved like that of a beautiful horse; and tufts of hair like brushes upon their noses; and nice round bodies like ponies, and long white tails that reached near the ground, just like the tails of ponies, and finely-shaped limbs as ponies have