The trail was picked up after a short time and the party of hunters expected that it would be a long and wearisome pursuit, for it was evident that the elephants had become nervous and were moving steadily along without stopping to feed.

In such cases they frequently travel forty or fifty miles before settling down to quiet feeding again.
The country was hilly, deep with dry grass, and badly cut up with small gullies and jagged out-croppings of rock on the low ridges.

At all times the ears of the hunting party were alert for any sound that would indicate the proximity of the herd, but for several hours no trumpeting, nor intestinal rumbling, nor crash of tusks against small trees were heard.

Finally, at about eleven o'clock, Tarlton, who, strangely enough, is partly deaf, heard a sound that caused the hunting party to stop short.

He heard elephants.