Only upon rare occasions were the guns afterwards used to procure a little fresh provision--such as a brace of wild duets from the lake, or one of the smaller game animals which could be found almost any morning within gunshot distance of the hut.

For these reasons many parts of the valley had been left unvisited; and it was deemed possible enough for even a great elephant to have been all the time dwelling within its boundaries, unseen by any of the party.
Indulging in these conjectures, all three remained awake for more than an hour; but as the subject of their speculations appeared to have gone altogether away, they gradually came to the conclusion that he was not going to return at least for that night--and their confidence being thus restored, they once more betook themselves to sleep--resolved in future to keep a sharp lookout for the dangerous neighbour that had so unexpectedly presented himself to their view..