Elephants
mud, and with food always short and a problem when in the bush, we stopped to collect them. We drove on another ¾ s of a mile and I heard an elephant blow nearby ( a sort of loud snorting noise). Next there were sounds of the whole herd on the move with trees being knocked down, big thickets crashed through, and very quietly down the river bed the sounds of branches being ripped off trees. We were on the North side of the dried up river with the wind blowing from the south mainly, but then it would sometimes veer and blow in the opposite direction. In other words it was cyclonic. It was now about 9am and we made our way down the dried river bed when I heard noises of the herd on the south. I promptly made for the for the north bank again and then crept through the under growth to a point opposite the herd, and I sat for a rest in the shade of a large tree on the river bank. My heart was racing and there was a combination of excitement and fear, and my boys were feeling panicky and on edge, because although the herd was opposite there could easily be the odd one behind to out flank us. Suddenly there was a movement and the whole herd came out from some bushes into the shade of a large lone sausage tree opposite us about 40 yds away where they peacefully settled to rest. I looked to see if there was a large old bull with large tusks but could not see one, but just then the wind slightly shifted and they got the faint whiff of human scent. Immediately they swept their trunks and milled around and three of them ran around the tree with their ears wide, and one started to trumpet shrilly. Suddenly I noticed a really big Bull who then walked down the river bank and looked suspiciously in our direction and at the same time all the elephants started to scoop up dust in their trunks and which they then blew into the air to make a sort of smoke screen. They did this to get the wind direction and then be able to locate our position but after about 20 minutes they all settled down. My blood was running high by this time full of the thrill and excitement of the chase in a dangerous operation and so I decided to risk a really close stalk So putting my hand down to help myself up a leaf crackled. And immediately three elephant on my side flapped their huge ears open like swing doors and raised their trunks. One threw more dust into the air while I resorted to a subterfuge of scratching the leaves like a farmyard hen trying to copy a guinea fowl as they would scratch amongst the dead leaves. This ploy worked and calmed their fears and they obviously believed that as the noise was a bird, I could not be there as well, and so I was able to make quite a bit of noise as I retreated and they ignored me.
I made my way in the river bed again about 100yds up stream with my boys thinking that I was stark staring mad as I crept along under the shelter of the south river bank. Arriving below the elephant I very quietly crept up the bank as using a .303 I would have to have a side shot at his head at less than 10yds as there was no way that I could stop a charging elephant with a .303 and once upon on the bank there would be no chance of retreat. In any case one should never run from a charging animal or it will chase you and the bank was 15 ft high and very steep, and the river bed was deep sand to slow me down if I did have to try and dash for it, whereas an elephant could run at 20 mph if it wanted to!
The last three feet up the bank was vertical and so I laid my gun on the top, and crawled over very carefully only moving as the elephant turned away. However the Bull was not visible and the herd was less than 19 yards away which is uncomfortably close. So I slowly stood up and moved forward just one pace gun at the ready, but it was enough and the nearest elephant scented me, picked up the odour and holding his trunk like a walking stick handle passed it on, to another who sucked it out and repeated the process. Anyway the large bull which had been hidden received the message, gave a roar and the whole herd broke. I still did not move or