Big Bull Elephant Shot 



My orderly requested me in a hoarse whisper to 

 fire quickly ; but I knew that we had arrived at the 

 critical moment, when any hurried mistake might 

 prove fatal to us. At last the big bull slowly turned 

 a broadside view to me. Silently my orderly placed 

 himself in front of me. I raised my heavy .577 and 

 steadied it against him. I aligned the sights and 

 tried in vain to hold my breath. My heart was 

 beating fast, and one could not help wondering what 

 the herd would do after the trigger was released. 

 Which direction would they make for? What a 

 heap of ideas seem to drift across one's mind in brief 

 moments of this sort. At last I gently squeezed 

 my forefinger and thumb. Bang ! The big brute 

 seemed to stagger. What was happening ? He 

 hardly moved. Had I missed."* Off went my 

 second barrel somewhat wildly. Thank goodness, 

 he was dropping head foremost. 



A hurried warning from my orderly aroused me 

 to instant action. Two of the herd were bearing 

 blindly down on our right front, but as their first 

 and foremost idea was to make tracks, we easily 

 avoided them by hurriedly running to our left, not- 

 withstanding that the long grass seriously impeded 

 our movements. They passed by, going like the 

 wind — at least fifteen miles an hour in the thick 

 bush, which lends the appearance of rapidity. I 

 now hastily took the precaution of reloading without 

 further delay, although all was apparently over, and 

 fortunately I did so, as this probably saved my life. 



I had barely finished loading when my orderly 

 241 16 



