Gobo, who was perched close to me,
but as far off as the beam would allow--for neither white man nor black
like the aroma which each vows is the peculiar and disagreeable property
of the other--was faintly, very faintly clicking his forefinger against
his thumb. I knew by this signal, a very favourite one among native
hunters and gun-bearers, that he must have seen or heard something. I
looked at his face, and saw that he was staring excitedly towards the
dim edge of the bush beyond the deep green line of mealies. I stared
too, and listened. Presently I heard a soft large sound as though a
giant were gently stretching out his hands and pressing back the ears
of standing corn. Then came a pause, and then, out into the open
majestically stalked the largest elephant I ever saw or ever shall see.
Heavens! what a monster he was; and how the moonlight gleamed upon his
one splendid tusk--for the other was missing--as he stood among the
mealies gently moving his enormous ears to and fro, and testing the
wind with his trunk. While I was still marvelling at his girth, and
speculating upon the weight of that huge tusk, which I swore should be
my tusk before very long, out stepped a second bull and stood beside
him. He was not quite so tall, but he seemed to me to be almost
thicker-set than the first; and even in that light I could see that both
his tusks were perfect. Another pause, and the third emerged. He was
shorter than either of the others, but higher in the shoulder than No.
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