386 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



fear of man. We continually heard them breaking branches, 

 and making rumbling or squeaking sounds. They then 

 fed slowly along in the opposite direction, and got into 

 rather more open country; and we followed faster in the 

 big footprints of the bull we had selected. Suddenly in an 

 open glade Kongoni crouched and beckoned to me, and 

 through a bush I caught the loom of the tusker. But at 

 that instant he either heard us, saw us, or caught a whiff 

 of our wind, and without a moment's hesitation he him- 

 self assumed the offensive. With his huge ears cocked at 

 right angles to his head, and his trunk hanging down, he 

 charged full tilt at us, coming steadily, silently, and at a 

 great pace, his feet swishing through the long grass; and a 

 formidable monster he looked. At forty yards I fired the 

 right barrel of the Holland into his head, and though I 

 missed the brain the shock dazed him and brought him to 

 an instant halt. Immediately Kermit put a bullet from 

 the Winchester into his head; as he wheeled I gave him 

 the second barrel between the neck and shoulder, through 

 his ear; and Kermit gave him three more shots before he 

 slewed round and disappeared. There were not many 

 minutes of daylight left, and we followed hard on his trail, 

 Kongoni leading. At first there was only an occasional 

 gout of dark blood; but soon we found splashes of red 

 froth from the lungs; then we came to where he had fallen, 

 and then we heard him crashing among the branches in 

 thick jungle to the right. In we went after him, through 

 the gathering gloom, Kongoni leading and I close behind, 

 with the rifle ready for instant action; for though his 

 strength was evidently fast failing, he was also evidently 

 in a savage temper, anxious to wreak his vengeance before 



