“That was a curious story you were telling me of yourself, Lionel,” observed Percy; “I am more interested than you may suppose. Should you like to find your real father and mother?”
“Indeed, I should,” answered Lionel; “for young as I was, I fancy I remember my mother. I have often in my sleep seen her standing by my bedside and watching over me. I was very fond of Aunt Susannah. Still I never looked upon her as my mother. She was very different to the lady I remember.”
“Then you think your mother was a lady?” asked Percy.
“I am certain of it,” answered Lionel; “and a very charming lady, too. I am as sure of that as I am of my own existence.”
While they were speaking, Gozo, who had been looking about him, cried out in a low voice, pointing to the river, “See, see!”
As they sat up, they observed a troop of elephants approaching the ford from the opposite side.
“We must try and get a shot at one of those fellows,” exclaimed Denis, looking round to ascertain where the horses were feeding. Satisfied that they were well away from the track the elephants were likely to take, he began creeping along towards some bushes close to the river, at no great distance from the ford.
“The young master knows what he is about,” whispered Gozo to Lionel, as they followed behind Percy, who had kept close to Denis.
They reached the bush without the elephants having observed them. The animals came on, and arranged themselves along the bank, some going into the ford, while others kept on dry ground, near enough to dip their trunks into the water. Having satisfied their thirst, they commenced squirting the water over their backs, so as to give themselves a pleasant shower bath that hot day, appearing to be in no hurry to proceed. The party in ambush began to fear that they would move back the way they had come, and that there would be no chance of getting a shot at them.
“The time is passing, and we ought to be on our way to camp,” whispered Percy. “Would it not be better to give up the chance of killing an elephant to-day? We could not carry home the tusks, and it would be a long distance to send for them.”