The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-10-09

doze.
Presently awoke with start
Gobo who was perched close to me,
| but as far off as the beam would allow
for neither white man nor black likes
the aroma which each vows is the pc
culiar and disagreeable property Of the
other-was family, very family, click
ing his forefnger against his thumb.
knew by this signal a very favorite
one among native hunters and gum
bearers-that he must have seen or
| heard something.
/ looked at his face. and saw that he
was staring excitedly toward the dim
edge Of the bush beyond the deep green
line of mealies.
1 / stared. too, and listened.
Presently 1 heard soft, large sound,
as though a giant were gently stretch
ing out his hands and pressing back
the ears of standing corn.
Then came pause, and then out into
the open majestically stalked the larg-
est elephant ever savior ever shall
see.
Heavens! 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 | was Still maryeling at his
girth, and Specializing upon the weight
of that huge tusk, which / swore
should be my tusk before very long. out
stepped a second bull and 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 see that both his tusks were
perfect.
Another pause. and the third
emerged.
He was shorter than either of the
others, but higher in the shoulder than
No. 2, and when / tell you that, as /
afterward learned from actual meas
urement. 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 minute, the one-tusked bull
gently caressing the elephant ON the
left with his trunk
Then they began to feed, walking
forward and slightly to the right as
they gathered great punches Of the
sweet mealies and thrust them into
their mouths.
All this time they were more than a
hundred and twenty yards away from
me this knew because had paced
the distances from the tree to various
points)-much too far to allow Of my
attempting shot at them in that I'M
certain light.
They fed in semicircle, gradually
drawing round 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 be-
tween excitement and hope that maxi
| eth the heart sick I got so weary that
was actually contemplating descent
from the tree and moonlight stalk.
Such an act in ground so open would
have been that of a stark staring luna
tic. 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.
i After they had fed their fiji. which
was very large one, the noble three
| stood once more in line some seventy
yards to the left of the hut ana in the
edge Of the cultivated lands. or in all
j about eightyfye yards from where /
was perched.
| Then at last the one with single
tusk made peculiar rafting noise in
| his trunk, just as though he were blow
ing his nose. and without more ado
began to walk deliberately toward the
| hut where the old woman slept.
| got my rifle ready, and glanced IN
at the moon, only to discover that a
new complication was looming in the
immediate future.
| / hare said that a wind rose with
the moon.
Well the wind brought rain-clouds
along its track.
Several light ones had already for n
little while lessened the light. though
without observing 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.
] remember noticing that the pair OF
them bore 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
hoated over the face Of the moon. rem
derIng 1t impossible for me to fire.
In the faint twilight which remained
however, could just make out tile
gray mass Of the great brute still adj
vancing toward the hut
I Then the light went out altogether.
and had to trust to my ears.
i heard him fumbling with his trunk.
apparently at the roof Of the hut
/ Next came a sound as OF straw being
drawn ont, and then for little while
there was complete silence.
The cloud began to pass
could see the oufIine az t1,e aIsa