HUNTING ELEPHANTS. 4i9 



out Bimultaneously, imagining I was killed, for tAi elephant was at 

 one moment 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 Badenoch brogues, which I that day sported, being worn 

 through ; and 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 

 goon once more alongside. About this time I heard Isaac 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. Mj 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 " 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, rum- 

 bling and trumpeting as before. The whole body of the Bamang- 

 wato men had now come up, and were following a short distance be- 

 hind me. Among these was Mollyeon, who volunteered to help ; and 

 being a very swift and active fellow, he rendered me important ser- 

 vice 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 in 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, therefore at once rcsolvad to fire no more from the saddle, 

 but to go close up to him and fire oj\ foot. Riding up to him I dis- 

 mounted, 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 twinkling I was loaded, 



