Close of a Good Day's Sport. 123 



the only noises that disturbed the wild scene around. 

 The tent-fires were blazing brightly in the forest at 

 about a mile distant ; and giving my gun to the horse- 

 keeper, I mounted and rode toward the spot. 



I was within half a mile of the tent, and had just 

 turned round an angle made by the forest, when I sud- 

 denly saw the gray forms of several elephants, who had 

 just emerged from the forest, and were feeding in the 

 high grass within a hundred yards of me. I counted 

 seven, six of which were close to the edge of the jun- 

 gle, but the seventh was a large bull elephant, who had 

 advanced by himself about sixty yards into the plain. 

 I thought I could cut this fellow off, and, taking my big 

 rifle, I dismounted and crept cautiously toward him. 

 He winded me before I had gone many paces, gave a 

 shrill trumpet of alarm and started off for the jungle ; 

 the rest of the herd vanished like magic, while I ran 

 after the bull elephant at my best speed. He was too 

 quick for me, and I could not gain upon him, so, halt- 

 ing suddenly, I took a steady shot at his ear with the 

 four-ounce at about seventy yards. Down he went to 

 the shot, but I heard him roar as he lay upon the 

 ground, and I knew he would be up again in a mo- 

 ment. In the same instant, as I dropped my empty 

 rifle, a double-barreled gun was pushed into my hand, 

 and I ran up to him, just in time to catch him as he 

 was half risen. Feeling sure of him, I ran up within 

 two yards of his head and fired into his forehead. To 

 my amazement, he jumped quickly up, and with a loud 

 trumpet he rushed toward the jungle. I could just 

 keep close alongside him, as the grass was short and 

 the ground level, and being determined to get him, I 

 ran close to his shoulder, and, taking a steady shot be- 



