Upon arrival, I found that the neighbourhood was alive with game of all kinds, and the Moormen were excellent hands at elephants.

There was accordingly no difficulty in procuring good gun-bearers and trackers, and at 4 P.M.
of the day of our arrival, we started to make a circuit of the tank in quest of the big game.

At about 5 P.M.we observed several rogues scattered in various directions around the lake; one of these fellows, whose close acquaintance I made with the telescope, I prophesied would show some fight before we owned his tail.

This elephant was standing some distance in the water, feeding and bathing.

There were two elephants close to the water's edge between him and us, and we determined to have a shot at them en passant, and then try to bag the big fellow.
Although we stalked very cautiously along the edge of the jungle which surrounded the lake, divided from it by a strip of plain of about 200 yards in width, the elephants winded us, and retreated over the patina* (*Grassy plains) at full speed towards the jungle.