A MIGHTY BULL ELEPHANT SHOT. 159 



scene. The elephants, panic-stricken, charged forward, 

 leveling the forest before them, trumpeting, with trunks 

 and tails aloft, as the dogs mingled with them. 



Looking back over my shoulder, I beheld elephants 

 come crashing on behind and within a few yards of me. 

 I then pressed forward, overtook about ten bulls that 

 were inclining to the west, rode under their sterns, chose 

 the best, and, yelling at the top of my voice, separated 

 him from his comrades, and brought my dogs to my 

 assistance. In a few minutes he had many mortal 

 wounds. Not hearing my trusty John and Carey fire, 

 and the elephant's course being right toward camp, I 

 ceased firing and drove him on before me. Presently 

 these worthies came up to me, having been after a most 

 splendid bull — the cock of the troop — which I, in my 

 haste, had ridden by. They had fired two or three shots, 

 and then left him. I now saw that all my hunting this 

 season must depend on my own single hand, as my fol- 

 lowers, instead of a help, were a very great hinderance 

 and annoyance to me. If I had been alone that day I 

 should most certainly have taken more time, and have 

 selected the elephant they had lost, which the natives 

 said carried extremely large and long teeth. Presently, 

 my elephant declining to proceed further, and becom- 

 ing extremely wicked, I recommenced firing, and at 

 last he fell, having received twenty-nine balls, twenty- 

 seven of these being in a very correct part. This was 

 an enormous, first-rate bull ; but his teeth, though large, 

 being not the best in the troop, I felt very much dis- 

 satisfied. 



On the afternoon of the 5th I traded with Seleka for 

 karosses of pallah's skin and tusks of elephants, and in 

 the evening I walked up to inspect the town, and climb- 

 ed to the summit of the quartz rock on which the cita- 



