194 The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



turned toward the dh'ection of the cave, which was 

 plainly shown by a distant blaze of light from the night- 

 fires, which were already lit. We were walking 

 slowly along parallel to the jungle, into which the ele- 

 phants had retreated, when my man Wallace, who is a 

 capital gun-bearer, halloed out, " Here comes an ele- 

 phant !" and in the dim twilight I could see an elephant 

 bowling at a great pace toward us, but close to the jun- 

 gle. He was forty yaixls from me, but my brother fired 

 at him and without effect. I took a quick shot with a 

 double-barreled rifle, and he dropped immediately. 

 Hearing him roar as he lay in the high lemon grass by 

 the edge of the jungle, I ran down the gentle slope to 

 the spot, followed by my trusty gun-bearer Wallace, as 

 I knew the elephant was only stunned and would soon 

 recover. Upon arriving within a few feet of the spot, 

 pushing my way with difficulty through the tangled 

 lemon grass I could not see where he lay, as daylight 

 had now vanished. I was vainly looking about when I 

 suddenly heard a rush in the grass close to me, and I 

 saw the head and cocked ears of the elephant within six 

 feet as he came at me. I had just time to fire my re- 

 maining barrel, and down he dropped to the shot. I 

 jumped back a few paces to assure myself of the result, 

 as the smoke hanging in the high grass, added to the 

 darkness, completely blinded me. Wallace pushed the 

 spare rifle into my hand, and to my astonishment I saw 

 the head and cocked ears again coming at me. It was 

 so dark that I could not take an aim, but I floored him 

 once more by a front shot, and again I jumped back 

 through the tangled grass just in time to avoid him, as 

 he, for the third time, recovered himself and charged. 

 He was not five paces from me, and I took a steady 



