Part 17 (1/2)

”We must let none of those elephants escape,” said Hans, when a second tail was added to that previously taken. ”Bernhard is with the other party, and depend upon it they will kill more than an elephant each.

There are fine tusks in those elephants' heads on before us, and the creatures are so blown they cannot run fast now. Two more each will make it a good day's sport.”

Setting spurs to their horses, the pursuit was once more carried on, and with a discharge of several bullets four more elephants were laid low.

”Now,” said Hans, ”I will say the sport is good. We can return to our outspan to-night, and can tell what we have done, not boastfully, but as men who have done well. I hope the others have been as successful.”

On returning to camp, Hofman said--

”Come into my tent to-night, Karls, and eat there; we will then talk over our day's sport. What have _you_ done, Hans?”

Hans briefly related the results of his day's work, and described the size of the tusks which his elephants carried.

”You have done better than we have,” said Hofman, ”for we have only shot seven amongst us, and two are not full-grown bulls.”

As might be expected, the conversation during the evening was mostly about elephants and elephant hunting; and as we may learn much about the habits of this singular animal, and the method of hunting it adopted by the Africans, we will relate some of the anecdotes connected therewith.

”You ask me where I shot my first elephant,” said Hofman. ”It was where few men now hunt elephants, because there are not many there now, and because it is a dangerous place to hunt them in. It was in the Fish-river bush in the old colony. That bush, as you know, is very thick and th.o.r.n.y, and if they would only lie close, and didn't leave a footmark, a hundred elephants might live there peaceably for years even now; but when I was quite a boy there were not many men could say they had walked ten miles in the Fish-river bush. My father used to go down to Graham's Town about twice a year to get various things he wanted, and when he went he generally took me. I was little more than fifteen when he went down on the occasion I will tell you of.

”We had to pa.s.s the Fish-river bush on the way from our place down to Graham's Town, and as we were going along I saw near the road,--or rather waggon-track, for it was nothing more,--a broken tree. I turned into the bush to look, and then saw what I knew was the spoor of an elephant. I didn't say what I had seen, for all of a sudden I got very ambitious, and I thought I would make myself a name, and not be thought a boy any longer. I knew that we outspanned about half a mile further on, and as the day was very hot, I asked my father if he would go on after a short outspan, or wait a bit.

”'I'll wait till near sundown,' he replied, 'for it is full moon to-night, and we can trek better in the night than in this heat, and we can sleep a little now.'

”'I'd rather go and shoot,' said I, 'if you'd lend me your big gun.'

”'What do you want the big gun for?' inquired my father. 'That is for elephants or rhinoster, and you will find nothing bigger than a buck.'

”'I can always shoot better with that big gun,' I replied.

”'Very well,' said my father. 'Don't lose yourself in the bush; but you can't do that with the sun s.h.i.+ning as it is.'

”'I'd like Blueboy to come with me, father; he'd carry my buck.'

”Now Blueboy was a bush-boy who was _fore-looper_ [Fore-looper is the leader of the team of oxen; he holds a string fastened to the horns of the first two.] to the oxen sometimes, and who had taught me more spooring than any one else, and I wanted to consult him about this elephant.

”'Oh yes! take him,' said my father. So, beckoning Blueboy, I told him I wanted him to come with me, and the little fellow was glad enough to come, as we always had some sport together.

”'There's the gun,' said my father; 'it's loaded with two bullets. I'll just give you two more bullets, and two charges of powder, for you must not waste the ammunition. Mind you're back an hour before sundown.'

”This parting advice I hoped to comply with, and Blueboy and I walked off.

”I kept quite silent till we were away from the waggons, when I instantly said, 'Blueboy, we are after an elephant.'

”'Yes,' said the sharp little fellow in his broken Dutch, 'I thought so.

I saw you go into the bush where the tree was broken. When did elephant break tree?'

”'The marks were quite fresh, Blueboy; I think not long before we got there.'

”'We shall see when we look,' was his reply.

”We hurried on, and entered the bush, Blueboy going first. He carefully examined the ground, picked up the gra.s.s, and at length rushed at a small broken branch as though he had seen a treasure. After turning this over once or twice, he pointed to the eastern part of the sky, and said, 'When sun there, elephant here. He may now be far off, may be close here; we see soon. Follow me now.'