Crawling carefully through the vegetation, making use of

such trees and bushes as afforded shelter, I came at last

almost within easy range of my quarry, when the antlered

head of the buck went suddenly into the air, and then, as

though in accordance with a prearranged signal, the whole

band moved slowly off, farther inland.

As their pace was leisurely, I determined to follow them

until I came again within range, as I was sure that they

would stop and feed in a short time.

They must have led me a mile or more at least before they

again halted and commenced to browse upon the rank,

luxuriant grasses. All the time that I had followed them I

had kept both eyes and ears alert for sign or sound that

would indicate the presence of Felis tigris; but so far not

the slightest indication of the beast had been apparent.

As I crept closer to the antelope, sure this time of a good

shot at a large buck, I suddenly saw something that caused

me to forget all about my prey in wonderment.

It was the figure of an immense grey-black creature, rearing

its colossal shoulders twelve or fourteen feet above the

ground. Never in my life had I seen such a beast, nor did I

at first recognize it, so different in appearance is the

live reality from the stuffed, unnatural specimens preserved

to us in our museums.

But presently I guessed the identity of the mighty creature

as Elephas africanus, or, as the ancients commonly described

it, African elephant.

The antelope, although in plain view of the huge beast, paid

not the slightest attention to it, and I was so wrapped up

in watching the mighty pachyderm that I quite forgot to

shoot at the buck and presently, and in quite a startling

manner, it became impossible to do so.

The elephant was browsing upon the young and tender shoots

of some low bushes, waving his great ears and switching his

short tail. The antelope, scarce twenty paces from him,

continued their feeding, when suddenly, from close beside

the latter, there came a most terrifying roar, and I saw a