48 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



twisted his trunk round his legs, and hurled him 

 to the ground ; Wedderburn, although much in- 

 jured, and doubtlessly with some of his limbs 

 broken, still moved, and at this moment one of 

 the shekarries who carried a loaded gun fired 

 two shots into the animal's side ; but nothina: 

 attracted his attention from his victim, whose 

 piercing shrieks rang through the forest, for re- 

 gardless of the shouts and cries of the natives, 

 he again seized him, placed his huge foot upon 

 his chest, and trampled and knelt upon him until 

 almost every bone was broken, when he flung the 

 mangled and lifeless body on one side, and rushed 

 trumpeting through the forest. Such was the 

 melancholy fate of one of the best shots that 

 India ever produced; and I must have fallen in 

 with his vindictive adversary about eight hours 

 after the fatal rencontre, for I am convinced, from 

 the circumstantial evidence of the recognised bul- 

 lets, that the " rogue " I slew was the guilty party, 

 although each of the next half-dozen elephants 

 that were killed round about the Hills was sup- 

 posed to have had something to do with the 

 transaction. 



