Of course we lost no time in giving chase.

The sun was intensely hot--not a breath of air was stirring, and the heat in the close, parched grass was overpowering.
With the length of start that the elephants had got, we were obliged to follow at our best pace, which, over such tangled ground, was very fatiguing; fortunately, however, the elephants had not yet seen us, and they had accordingly halted now and then, instead of going straight off.
There were only four elephants together, and, by a great chance we came up with them just as they were entering a jungle.

I got a shot at the last elephant and killed him, but the others put on more steam, and all separated, fairly beating us, as we were almost used up by the heat.
This was very bad luck, and we returned in despair of finding the scattered herd.

We had proceeded some distance through the high grass, having just descended a steep, rocky hill, when we suddenly observed two elephants approaching along the side of the very hill that we had just left.

Had we remained in the centre of the hill, we should have met them as they advanced.