AN AWKWARD SHOT 91 



nothing about it to my friends because I was 

 afraid they would insist on keeping me in bed, but 

 every night I had had an attack of fever, and that, 

 coupled with my rheumatism, made it impossible 

 for me to lift my elephant rifle, a magnificent 

 8 bore weighing some 16 pounds. I accordingly 

 decided to trust to my -465 Holland a beautiful 

 weapon, but hardly as suitable for so big a beast 

 as an elephant as my -8 bore. I must say that 

 both Vernede and Fraser behaved beautifully to 

 me. Some men would have flatly refused to let 

 me undertake what I made up my mind to do. 

 We had a considerable tramp before we got down 

 to the boulder, and then I did what I had decided 

 to do. I came quickly round the side of the hill 

 and went straight into the marsh towards the 

 elephant; Fraser and Vernede did likewise away 

 to my left. I was well above my knees in mud, 

 water and rushes, and most awkwardly placed for 

 shooting, inasmuch as the elephant was on ground 

 considerably higher than the level of the marsh. 

 It is always very dangerous to shoot at a wild beast 

 when he is above you in fact, it is a recognised 

 rule never to do so; but this was the only chance 

 of my life of getting an elephant, and I determined 

 to risk everything to get him. When I had got 

 to within 40 yards of him he appeared inclined to 

 charge me. Up to then he had looked at me very 

 much as though I were an interesting beetle. 

 The situation seemed to me so extraordinarily 

 comical that I nearly burst out laughing. Across 

 the narrow marsh stood the elephant on rising 

 ground, looking at me about as viciously as any 

 beast could. He was known to be a rogue and 



