BAD SHOOTING. 2j 



manoeuvre would accomplish his purpose, so com- 

 menced backing to repeat it, when I gave him both 

 barrels in the forehead. The last brought him to 

 his knees, but in an instant after, he was up, and 

 charged with as much velocity as before. For- 

 tunately, the tree stood this assault ; but it certainly 

 did not look as if it would resist many more such 

 attacks, so, while the irate beast backed to repeat his 

 rush, Jim and I scuttled out of the back door and 

 took shelter behind a meruli tree. This retrograde 

 movement was accomplished without attracting 

 observation, for the enemy still thought we were in 

 our former sanctuary, so he charged it with as much 

 vigour as previously. 



" Twenty-five yards was about the distance that 

 separated us from the elephant. I watched my 

 chance when his head was down, slashing the boabab 

 in his blind fury, and gave him two shots behind 

 the shoulder. The first seemed to be well placed, 

 but the second, in which I had not much confidence 

 — for, being much excited, I had fired too rapidly — 

 brought the huge animal down with a tremendous 

 crash. His struggles to rise were terrible to witness, 

 but each effort seemed less effective than its pre- 

 decessor. The fact was that the beast's hind-quarters 

 were paralysed, for he had been hit on the vertebrae. 



" Although fired within a few yards, it took four 

 more shots to kill the game. In fact, I thought it 

 was bewitched, and would not die. As to head 



