272 HUNTING ADVENTURES. 



more to the fountain, and very slowly and warily came on. Wa 

 now heard the wounded elephant utter the cry of death, and fal 

 heavily on the earth. Carey, whose ears were damaged ty thf 

 bursting of the big rifle, did not catch this sound, but swcre that 

 the elephant which now so stealthily approached the water was 

 the one at which we had fired. 



It was interesting to observe this grand old bull approach the 

 fountain : he seemed to mistrust the very earth on which he stood, 

 and smelt and examined with his trunk every yard of the ground 

 before he trod on it, and sometimes stood five minutes on one spot 

 without moving. At length, having gone round three sides of the 

 fountain, and being apparently satisfied as to the correctness of 

 every thing, he stepped boldly forward on to the rock on the west, 

 and, walking up within six or seven yards of the muzzles of our 

 rifles, turned his broadside, and, lowering his trunk into the water, 

 drew up a volume of water, which he threw over his back and 

 shoulders to cool his person. This operation he repeated two or 

 three times, after which he commenced drinking, by drawing the 

 water into his trunk and then pouring it into his mouth. I deter- 

 mined to break his leg if possible ; so, covering the limb about 

 level with the lower line of his body, I fired, Carey firing for his 

 heart. I made a lucky shot ; and, as the elephant turned and 

 attempted to make away, his leg broke with a loud crack, and he 

 stood upon his three sound ones. At once disabled and utterly 

 incapable of escaping, he stood statue-like beside the fountain, 

 within a few yards of where he had got the shot, and only occa- 

 sionally made an attempt at locomotion. 



The patch of my rifle, fired at this elephant's comrade, had 

 Ignited a large ball of dry old dung, about eight yards to leeward 

 of our kraal, and, fanned by the breeze, it was now burning away 

 very brightly, the sparks flying in the wind. Presently, on look- 

 ing about me, I beheld two bull elephants approaching by the self- 

 same foot-path which the others had held. The first of these was 

 a half-grown bull, the last was an out-and-out old fellow with 

 enormous tusks. They came on as the first had done, but seemed 

 incliued to pass to v/indvvard of us. The young bull, houevec 



