about two o'clock in the
afternoon
I had a little trouble with my captives when we first met the wagon , both of them being somewhat startled by the hideous yells and rifle-like whip-crackings wherewith Jan urged forward the oxen ; but a few more biscuits , hastily obtained from the wagon , restored the colt 's equanimity . And , not to dwell at undue length upon this incident , we had scarcely any further trouble with either of our prizes , the colt very rapidly developing perfect amenability , while the mare , although less tractable , never attempted to desert her offspring , and was becoming quite tame when tragedy unhappily overtook them both . The whole of the next morning was devoted by us to the task of cutting out the ivory from the three big tuskers killed in the forest , and the exceptional size of the elephants may be judged from the fact that the weight of ivory taken from them amounted in the aggregate to four hundred and forty-seven pounds . Then , about two o'clock in the afternoon , we inspanned the oxen and trekked in a north-easterly direction , with the range of hills cut through by the curious gorge about a quarter of a mile on our left and the Drakensberg range of mountains towering aloft on our right some fifty miles distant . We trekked until within half an hour of sunset , by which time we had rounded the north-eastern spur of the range of hills , passed the northern extremity of the gorge , and `` struck '' another river , about one hundred and twenty yards in width , flowing northward , on the right bank of which we outspanned for the night . Two days later , trekking northward along the course of the last-mentioned river , we arrived at its junction with the Limpopo , on the farther side of which lay my goal , Mashonaland ; and here we again outspanned , while Piet and I went on a prospecting tour in search of a drift by means of which the wagon might be safely taken across . Leaving the wagon , our spare horses , and the zebras in charge of Jan , the Hottentot driver , with strict injunctions that he was to take the utmost care of the captives , and treat them with the greatest kindness , Piet and I set out at daybreak -- the former mounted upon Punch , while I rode Prince as usual -- taking with us the elephant gun and my rifle , with a sufficiency of ammunition for each , and provisions for four days .