THE CONFLICT. 339 



almost on the top of me : I, however, escaped by my activity, and 

 by dodging round the bushy trees. As the elephant was charging, 

 an enormous thorn ran deep into the sole of my foot, the old 

 Badencch brogues, which I that day sported, being worn through ; 

 and this caused me severe pain, laming me throughout the rest of 

 the conflict. 



The elephant held on through the forest at a sweeping pace ; 

 but he was hardly out of sight when I was loaded and in the 

 saddle, and soon once more alongside. About this time I heard 

 [saac blazing away at another bull ; but when the elephant 

 charged, his cowardly heart failed him, and he very soon made 

 his appearance at a safe distance in my rear. My elephant kept 

 crashing along at a steady pace, with blood streaming from his 

 wounds ; the dogs, which were knocked up with fatigue and 

 thirst, no longer barked around him, but had dropped astern. It 

 was long' before I again fired, for I was afraid to dismount, and 

 t( Sunday" was extremely troublesome. At length I fired sharp 

 right and left from the saddle ; he got both balls behind the 

 shoulder, and made a long charge after me, rumbling and trum- 

 peting as before. The whole body of the Bamangwato men had 

 now come up, and were following a short distance behind me. 

 Among these was Mollyeon, who volunteered to help ; and being 

 a very swift and active fellow, he rendered me important service 

 by holding my fidgety horse's head while I fired and loaded. I 

 then fired six broadsides from the saddle, the elephant charging 

 almost every time, and pursuing us back to the main body in our 

 rear, who fled m all directions as he approached. 



The sun had now sunk behind the tops of the trees : it would 

 very soon be dark, and the elephant did not seem much distressed, 

 notwithstanding all he had received. I recollected that my time 

 was short, and therefore at once resolved to fire no more from the 

 saddle, but to go close up to him and fire on foot. Riding up to 

 him, I dismounted, and, approaching very near, I gave it him 

 right and left in the side of the head, upon which he made a long 

 and determined charge after me ; but I was now very reckless of 

 his charges, for I saw that he could not overtake me, and in a 



