Yet for all their hurry, we did not gain on the man who made them so afraid.
Elephants, once thoroughly scared, will run away forever.

Our boys openly praised the herd in front for its speed and stamina, hoping it would continue on its course and oblige us to keep the madman with the rifle at a safe distance to our rear.

But it seemed he had an easier line than we, or else his frenzy gave him seven-league boots, for he even began to gain on us, keeping along our right flank at a distance of several miles, and driving us nearly mad in the frantic effort to keep our column from turning and running away to the westward.

If we had relaxed our vigilance for a moment they would have broken line and fled.
It was old volcanic country we were marching through, densely wooded, virgin forest for the most part, with earth so warm at times that it was not easy to believe the crater of Elgon quite extinct.

Even at that low level we came on blow-holes nearly filled in with dirt and trash, serving as fine caves for beasts of prey.