Page 55 - Adventures in Africa

up among the branches and shoot them as they pass,

for they will not let us escape as easily as before/1
Fortunately, near at hand was a tree, up which,
without much difficulty* we could make our way.

My uncle, going1 up first, helped me to follow him.
Scarcely had we secured ourselves when the ele­
phants came up with their trunks sticking out and

trumpeting as loudly as before. A s they kept their
eyes on the ground, they did not see us. We fired
at them as they passed.

We remained for some time expecting the wounded
elephant to follow its companions, but as it did not

we began to hope that it had succumbed, and that we
might find it dead in the neighbourhood. W e were
about to descend to look for it, when the heads of

three giraffes, or camelopards, as they are sometimes
called, appeared among the trees ; the animals lifting
up their tall necks to crop the leaves as they advanced

As they were coming in our direction we agreed to
wait. By descending we might frighten them. In a
short time one separated from the others, and got so

close that my uncle could not resist the temptation of
firing. As the shot entered its neck the graceful

animal sank down to the ground, and lay perfectly
dead. The other two trotted off to a short distance,
alarmed by the report; but, seeing no human foe and
not knowing what had happened to their companion,

they stopped and continued browsing on the leaves as
before.

“ The chances are that they will soon come this way,
and so we cannot do better than remain where we
are,’' observed my uncle.