336 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
although it takes long to describe it—from the time the 
beast turned around and I fired my second charge, which I 
did now squarely at the middle of his chest. 
There came forth a terrific sound from the elephant’s 
lungs, and I jumped quickly aside. The bushes crashed 
and the earth trembled, when, like a cat in lightness but 
with all the force of an express train, the beast dashed 
at -us. 
In a moment I was behind an ant-hill that rose from the 
side of the path, only to find my boy Aden Aoule there 
before me, and spread at full length on the ground, having 
tumbled in his flight. It seemed as if the elephant were 
about to crush me, although I could not tell upon which 
side of the ant-hill he was coming. I moved a little around 
the ant-hill, but in so doing I made a mistake, for this was 
the side on which the animal was charging, and now I 
found myself fairly under the great head, with its long 
tusks pointed directly toward me. I never thought there 
was anything so big as that head seemed to me just then, 
or anything more disagreeable looking than those tusks, 
which I felt were about to pin me to the ground. I could 
only give a sudden swing around the ant-hill, and then run 
as noiselessly as possible back again along the very path 
down which the elephant had charged. 
I kept dodging in and out among the bushes, and for 
along time I did not know which way to turn, as every 
moment the elephant could be heard crashing through the 
bushes, first one side of me and then the other. I felt sure 
the animal would scent me, as he kept moving around in 
a circle. At times he was only fifteen yards away. So 
quietly did he move his great body along the narrow paths 
through the bushes, that, although I would remain per- 
fectly motionless at times, I could not hear a sound except 
when the elephant proceeded to dance on the bushes. 
