Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-10-04
fell to thinking, and wondering at the vast
ness of the silence.

! Lonely enough, in the new born llnht looked
the wide expanse Of mountain, plain and
forest, m re like some twilight vision of a
dream, some faint reflection from n fair
world OF peace beyond our ken, Ii an the mere
face Of garish earth made silvery soft with
sleep. Indeed, had it not been for the fact
that was beginning TO find the log ON which
sat very hard, should have grown quite
sentimental over the beautiful sight. But l
will defy anybody to become sentimental
when seated in the damp on a very rough
beam Of wood half way upa tree So mere
ly made mental note that it was a particu-
larly lovely night, and turned my attention
TO the prospect of elephants. But no ele-
plants came, and after waiting for another
hour or SO, think that what between weari-
ness and disgust / must have dropped into a
| gentle doze. Presently Iawoke with a start
Gobo, who was perched close TO me- but as
far OF as the beam would allow-for neither
white man nor black like the aroma which
each VOWS is the peculiar and disagreeable
property of the other-was family, very
/ family, clicking his forefinger against his
thumb. knew by this signal, very favor
/ lite one amo G native hunters and gun
bearers, that he must have seen
or heard something | looked at
his face, and saw that he was star
ing excitedly toward the dim edge of the
/ bush beyond the deep green line of mealies
| / stared too, and listened Presently heard
a soft large sound as though a giant were
| gently stretching out his hands and pressing
back the ears Of standing corn. Then came
pause, and then out into the open majesti-
cally stalked the largest elephant | ever saw
or ever shall see. Heavensl what monster
he was and how the moonlight cleaned
upon his one splendid tusk-for the other was
missing-as he stood among the mealies,
gently moving his enormous ears to and fro,
and testing the wind with his trunk While
twas still marveling at his girth and speculat-
ing upon the weight Of that huge tusk, which
swore should be my tuslS before very long,
out stepped second bull aud stood beside
him. He was not quite SO tall, but he.seemed
to me to be almost thicker set than The first,
! and even in that light could sec that both
his tusks we're perfect. Another pause, and
the third emerged. He was shorter than
either of the others, but higher in the shout
der than No. 2, and when | tell you that, as
| afterwards learned from actual measure
ment, the smallest of these three mighty bulls
measured twelve feet one and half inches
at the shoulder, it will give you some idea Of
their size The three formed into line, and
stood still for a minute, the one tusked bull
gently caressing the elephant on the left with
his trunk.
"Then they began to feed, walking. for
ward and slightly to the right as they
gathered great punches of the sweet mealies
and thrust them into their mouths, All this
time they we're more than a hundred and
twenty yards away from me this knew be
cause had paced the distances from the tree
to various points, much too far to allow of
my attempting a shot at them in that uncer-
tain light. They fed in a semicircle, grad
ually drawing round toward the hut, near
my tree, in which the corn was stored and
the old woman slept
This went on for between an hour and an
hour and half, till what between excite
ment and hope that maketh the heart sick
got so weary that was actually contemplate
ing descent from the tree and a moonlight
stalk. Such an act in ground so open would
have been that of a stark staring lunatic, and
that should even have been contemplating
it will show you the condition Of my mind.
But everything comes TO him who knows
how TO wait, and sometimes too to him who
doesn't, and so at last those elephants, or
rather one Of them, came TO me- After they
had fed their fill, which was a very large
one, the noble three stood once more in line
some seventy yards TO the left Of the hut and
in the edge of the cultivated lands, or in all
about eighty-five yards from where | was
perched Then at last the one with
the single tusk made a peculiar rat
Ting noise in his trunk, just as though he
were blowing his nose, and without more ado
began to walk deliberately towards the hut
where { he old woman slept. / got my rifle
ready, and glanced up at the moon, only to
discover that new complication was loom
ing in the immediate future. | have said
that a wind rose with the moon. Well, the
wind brought rain clouds along its track.
Several light ones had already for a little
while lessened the light, though without OBJ
scurlng it, and now two more were coming
rapidly up, both of them very black and
dense, The first cloud was small and long,
and the one behind big and broad. remem-
Der noticing that the pair of them bore a
most comical resemblance to dray drawn
by very long raw boned horse. As luck
would have it, just as the elephant got within
twenty-five yards or so of me, the head OF
the horse cloud floated over the face of the
moon, rendering it impossible for me to fire
In the faint twilight which remained, how
ever, I could just make out the gray mass OF
the great brute still advancing towards the
hut. Then the light went altogether, and
had to trust to my ears. l heard him
fumblng with his trunk, apparently at !
the roof of the hut. Next came sound |
as of straw being drawn out, and then
for a little while there was com
plete silence. The cloud began to pass.
could see the outline of the elephants he was
standing with his head right over the top OF
the hut. But could not see his trunk, and
no wonder. for it was inside the hut. He |
had thrust it right through the roof, and at
tracted. no doubt, by the smell of the mealies, |
was cropping about with it inside. 1t was
growing light now, and l got my rifle ready,
when suddenly there was most awful yell,
and / saw the trunk reappear, and In It's
mighty fold the old woman who had been
sleeping in the hut. Out she came through
the hole like periwinkle on the point OF
pin, still wrapped up in her blanket, and her
skinny legs and arms stretched to the four
points of the compass, and, as she did SO,
/