The Globe-republican., 1890-09-17
AN AFRICAN ROMANCE.
CHAPTER III.-CoNrrNuED.

CHAPTER IH.-CoNrrNuED.
By this time, between fright and
struggling, 1 was pretty we'll done. l
can not remember how got from under
the fallen tree, or indeed any thing, I'M
til found myself sitting on the ground
drinking some peach brandy from a
flask, and old Indaba-zimbi opposite
to me nodding his white locks
sagely, while he fired of moral refiec-
tons on the narrowness of my escape,
and my unwisdom in not having taken
his advice togo on foot. That reminded
me of my horse-I got up and went to
look at it. 1t was quite dead, the blow
OF the elephants trunk had fallen on the
saddle, breaking the framework and
rendering it useless. reflected that in
another two seconds it would have fall
en- on me. called to Indaba-zimbi and
asked which way the elephants had
gone.
''There" he said, pointing down the
gully, ''and we had better go after them,
Macumazahn. We have had the bad
luck, now for the good"
There was philosophy in this, though.
to tell the truth, did not feel particu-
larly keen on elephants at the moment.
1 seemed to have had enough of them.
However, it would never do to show the
white feather before the boys, SO as
sented with much outward readiness,
and we started, on the second horse,
and the others on foot. When We had
travelled for the best part OF an hour
down the valley all of sudden We
came upon the whole herd, which num-
bered little moro than eighty. just
in front of them the bush was SO thick
shat they seemed to hesitate about en-
rering it, and the sides of the valley
were SO rocky and steep at this point
that they could not climb them.
They saw US at the same moment as
We saw them, and inwardly was filled
with fears lest they should take it into
their heads to charge back up the gully
But they did not; trumpeting aloud
they rushed at the thick bush which
went down before them like corn before
a sickle. l do not think that in all my
experiences l ever heard any thing to
equal the sound they made as they
crashed through and over the shrubs
and trees. Before them was a dense
forest belt from hundred to hundred
and fifty feet in width. As they rushed
on it fell, so that behind them was moth
ing but level roadway st-ewed with
fallen trunks, crushed branches, and
here and there q tree, too strong even
for them, left standing amid the wreck.
On they went, and, Notwithstanding the
nature of the ground over which they
had to travel, they kept their distance
ahead of Us. This sort Of thing con-
tinued for a mile or more, and then l
saw that in front of the elephants the
valley opened into a space covered with
reeds and grass-it might have been five
or six acres in exsent-beyond which
the valley ran on again.
The herd reached the edge Of this ex-
panse, and for q moment pulled up, hes
itating-evidently they mistrusted 1t.
My men yelled aloud as only Kafirs can,
and that settled them. Headed BY the
wounded bull, whose martial ardor, like
my own, was somewhat cooled, they
spread out and dashed into the treach-
erous swamp, for such it was, though
just then there was no water to be seen.
For few yards all went well with them.
though they clearly found it heavy
going; then suddenly the great bull
sunk up to his belly in the stiff, peaty
soil. and remained fixed. The others,
mad with fear, took no heed of his
struggles and trumpetipgs. but plunged
on to meet the same fate. In Ave min
utes the whole herd Of them was hope
lcssly begged, the moro they struggled
to escape the deeper they sank. There
was one exception, indeed, . cow with
calf managed to win back to firm shore,
AID. lifting her trunk. prepared to
charge As Erecame up. But at that mo-