138 IN BRIGHTEST AFRICA 
fresh trail of a second elephant. I started to walk 
down the trail, but found that I was not in physical 
condition to go on, so I sent the boys up and around 
the ridge of this crater-like depression, instructing 
them to throw stones into the bush as they went 
along. They had not gone far when one of the ele- 
phants was beaten out and started to go across the 
bottom of the crater, over open ground. He was 
probably three hundred yards away from me, and 
as he approached the forest on the other side it oc- 
curred to me that I might get him rattled by shooting 
into the trees ahead of him. So I shot—the bullets 
crashed through the trees in front and frightened him, 
and he wheeled around and started back. I had 
hoped that he would come my way, but he did not. 
In the intense excitement I shot at him three or four 
times. A little puff of dust from his dry hide told 
me the story of my aim, and while one or two of the 
bullets apparently struck in the right place, it was 
evident that there was not sufficient penetration to 
get results. 
The whole thing was very foolish, but since I had 
wounded him it was absolutely essential that I finish 
the job. The elephant turned again and went on 
across to the opposite side, and now I had to get on 
his trail and follow him. From a hundred yards 
away he got our wind momentarily, and threatened 
to charge. Another shot turned him, and he disap- 
peared into the bush. An hour later I had a good 
view of him at about seventy-five yards and under 
conditions where I normally could have made an ap- 
