200 LAEGE GAME. chap. iv. 



shoulder. There was luckily a strong breeze blowing, and 

 the smoke was instantaneously carried away, causing the 

 elephant as he wheeled to catch sight of a small thorn- 

 tree through it, and charge that, almost coming on his 

 knees as he rooted it up, while I crouched flat under my 

 bush hardly five yards from the infuriated brute. After 

 accomplishing this, he went a little distance off and stood, 

 throwing vast volumes of water over his body, among 

 which I thought I could detect signs of blood, and I took 

 advantage of the opportunity to thrust fresh cartridges in. 

 The men also were reloading, as I could tell by the ring 

 of the iron ramroads, and in a few minutes they came 

 into view, scattered so as to distract his attention, and 

 slowly approached, when, not seeing me, they began to 

 shout my name out. Of course, I wasn't going to answer, 

 but the noise so enraged the elephant that he charged 

 them again ; and after having put them to flight, pulled 

 up before he had gone far, close to me, and in such a posi- 

 tion that I could fire without moving. I selected the ear 

 this time, and aiming carefully, I brought him to his 

 knees, when, jumping up and firing the other barrel into 

 his body, I put a hundred yards between us before I halted. 

 He soon regained his legs, but as he was evidently unable 

 to do further mischief, we all walked up to within thirty 

 yards, and after several more shots — I using one of the 

 hunter's six-bored guns instead of my own of ten to the 

 pound, — during which he never ceased screaming with 

 rage and pain, his huge body began to sway backwards 

 and forwards in his efforts to keep his legs, and then, after 

 tottering for a second, he came to the ground with a crash, 

 completely smashing a small tree against which he fell. 



