It wanted a good three hours to the setting of the moon, but there was sufficient light to follow the spoor—the three-toed and four-toed prints in the ground, for, unlike the Indian elephant, the African one has but three toes on his hind feet.
Presently, after the hunters had advanced about a mile, the almost indescribable trumpeting of a bull elephant disturbed the silence of the tropical night.
"Now, you fellows," exclaimed Colonel Narfield, addressing Colin and Tiny, "see that tree? You'll get a comprehensive view of the show from the lowermost branch. Up you go, and don't forget the safety-catches of your rifles. The brute's in that scrub, and I'm sending the beaters to drive him this way."
If the truth be told, the lads were not sorry to take to the tree. The stupendous trumpeting rather "gave them the breeze," and the knowledge that they were in a place of security and not confronted by the possibility of facing a huge elephant in the open was decidedly comforting.
Waving flaming torches, seven or eight natives worked round to the back of the patch of long grass surrounding a hollow. In the centre of the hollow was a shallow pool, in which the elephant was disporting himself, and consequently his enormous bulk was invisible from the spot where the Colonel and Van der Wyck had taken their stand.
Suddenly the trumpeting ceased. The elephant had scented danger.
{Illustration: "HIS FOOT CAUGHT IN A TRAILING TENDRIL AND HE CRASHED HEAVILY" [p. [174]}
Until the brute made up his mind what course to pursue he remained silent, and the silence was almost as disquieting to the inexperienced youths as had been the terrific trumpeting.