Evening star., 1909-08-22
BY EDGAR BEECHER BRONSON
Author of "reminiscences of a Ranch imam"
illustrated from Photographs by the Author

curtained room. Our progress was like swimming
through breakers, of vines and foliage
gulfng us at nearly every step Sometimes could
not arms length about us, usually
than ten feet and, when not corkscrewng ourselves
through vines and creepers, we were clambering up
the side and glissading down the other of moss
covered and slippery fallen forest giants.
About hundred yards in reached the muddy
stream and there encountered redoubled difficult
ties Flowing in straight steep banked channel
ten twenty feet deep and thirty to forty feet wide
it did it's best toward boxing the compass every
thirty yards serpentine as the vines that dangle
above it or the python that twine in ambush upon
its overhanging boughs.
AT the first crossing Awala my gunbearer slipped
and fell spashing into the creek fifteen feet below;
but luckily at the instant the tusker had hold
of bough he wanted in his business and was making
racket enough to drown any noise short of shot.
All the time we were drawing nearer our quarry,
pushing deeper toward the center of the bush, work
ing carefully up wind there 50 light one could
scarcely feel it. the two naked Masa gliding ahead of
us keen hounds and silent and snuous of move
ment snakes.
Not sound had heard from the one
point, apparently all made by elephant; there
fore, we felt assured that in luck and had
before really big old tusker, for such usually
flock by their lonesomes in pairs.
After three crossings of the brook we were able to
work along it perhaps eighty yards, place where
we had to stop. Immediately in front of u.s. not ten
feet away, it seemed and we later found it
tualy twenty feet,-behnd solid wall of foliage,
elephant.
Surrounded by Jungle Giants
A ND no more were we stopped than, as if as con-
certed tip that they had us where they wanted u.s.
all about sounds of elephant,-a smashing
branch here, mighty sigh of surfet there plash in
the stream the suck of great foot pulled from mud
We hadn't done a thing but innocently meander
into the middle of feeding herd
They even behind u.s. and absolutely the only
direction in which could thirty feet i'm
medately to left, where fallen log bridged the
creek from bank to bank twenty feet above the water
and that happened to be the only point from which
did not hear them.
If we had tried, could scarcely have put our
selves into more rotten dangerous position for,
matter how heavy the ivory sighted experienced
elephant hunter shoots in the middle of herd he has
unwttingly pushed into. Whichever way they
start they 60 and like not it will be the hunters
way, while, if wounded bull doesn't hunt you down
relentlessly fend it even bet that pet
lady of his harem will
Neither Outram | had ever wild ele-
phant much less hunted them and what to do was
puzzle to us, the more questions and answers
must needs be limited to silent signs OF course we
might have slipped away to probable safety across
the fallen treetrunk; but that not precisely
what we had been doing fortnights marching and
scouting for.
SO there we stood, still statues, eyes rowing
aloft ahead right and aft not daring to cock
gun q had Winchester .4O5 in my hands with
Mauser nine nm in reserve before catching glimpse
of head expecting every instant to giant
trunk reaching down for u.s.
OF every last mortal move they made