The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-08-22
of the soil. made snoring a very diff

freely, but the rain had washed the
blood off the leaves and grass, and the
ground being so rough and hard, had
not taken the footmarks so clearly as
was convenient.
However, We got along, though SLOW
ly. partly by the spoor, and partly by
carefully lifting leaves and blades OF
grass, and finding blood underneath
them, for the blood gushing from a
wounded animal often falls upon their
inner surfaces. and then, of course, un-
less the rain is very heavy, it is not
washed away.
1t took us something over an hour
and a half to reach the edge Of the
marsh, but once there our task became
much easier. for the soft soil showed
plentiful evidences of the great brutes'
passage.
Threading our way through the
swampy land. we came at last to a
ford of the river, and here we could
see where the poor wounded animal
had lain down in the mud and water
in The hope of easing himself of his
pain. and could see also how his two
faithful companions had assisted him
to rise again. .
We crossed the ford. and took up
the sDcor on the farther side, and fol-
lowed it into the marsh-like land be-
yond.
No rain.had fallen or this side OF the
river, and the blood marks were con-
sequently much more frequent.
All that day we followed the three
bulls, now across open plains, and now
through patches of bush.
They seemed to have Travelled on al
most without stopping. and I noticed
that as they went the wounded bull
got up his strength a little.
This I could see from his spoor,
which had become firmer, and also
from the fact that the other two had
given up supporting him.
at last evening closed in, and haT-,
ing travelled some eighteen miles we
camped, thoroughly tired out.
Before dawn the following d@y we
were up, and the first break of light
found us nee more on the spoor.
About half-past 5 o'clock we reached
the place where the elephants had fec
and slept.
The two unwounded bulls had taken
their fill, as the condition of the neigh
boring bushes showed. but the wound.
ed one had eaten nothing. :" :
He had spent the night leaning
against a good-sized tree, which his
weight had pushed out of the perpen-
dicular.
They had not long left this place, and
could not be very far ahead, especially
as the wounded bull was now again
so stiff after his nights rest that for
the first few miles the other two had
been obliged to support him.
But elephants 80 very quick, even
when they seem to be travelling slowly,
for shrub and creepers that almost
stop a mans progress are no hindrance
to them.
The three had now turned to the left,
and were travelling back again in q
semi circular line toward the noun
tains, probably with the idea of work
ing around to their old feeding-groundS
on the farther side Of the river.
There was nothing for it but to fol-
low their lead, and accordingly We fol-
lowed with industry.
Through all that long hot day did we
tramp, passing quantities Of every sort
of game, and even coming across the
spoor Of other elephants.
But, in spite of my mems entreaties,
I would not turn aside after these.
l would hSve those mighty tusks or
zone.
By evening we were quite close to
our game, probably within a quarter
of a mile, but the bush was dense, so
once more we had to camp, thoroughly
disguised with our luck.
That night, just after the moon: got
I'D. while 1 was sitting smoking my
pipe with MY back against a tree, l
heard an elephant trumpet, as though
something had startled it, not three
hundred yards away.
] was very tired, but my curiosity
overcame my WEAKNESS, so, without
saying a word to any of my men, all OF
whom were asleep, l took my eight
bore and a few spare cartridges and
steered toward the sound.
The game path which we had been
following all day ran straight on in
the direction from which the elephant
had trumpeted.
1t was narrow, but well trodden, and
the light struck down upon it in a
straight white line.
! crept along it cautiously for some
two hundred yards, when it suddenly
opened into a most beautiful glade a
hundred yards or more in width,
wherein tall grass grew and fat-topped
trees stood singly.
With the caution born Of long e1-
p~erience I watched for q few moments
before 1 entered the glade, and then l
saw why tie elephant had trumpeted.
There in the middle of the glade
stood a great maned lion.
He stood quite still, making a soft,
purring noise, and waving his tail to
| and fro.
Presently the grass about forty yards
| on the higher side of him gave a wide
ripple, and a lioness sprang out of it
like q flash and bounded noiSeleSSly
uD to the lion.