72 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. iv. 



her tail, giving it an upward direction in the hope of 

 disabling her spine. 



A cloud of smoke hung over me for a second, and, 

 throwing my empty gun on one side, I put my hand 

 behind me for a spare rifle. I felt the welcome barrel 

 pushed into my hand at the same moment that I saw 

 the infuriated head of the elephant with ears cocked 

 charging through the smoke ! It was the work of an 

 instant. I had just time to cock the two-ounce rifle 

 and take a steady aim. The next moment we were 

 in a cloud of smoke, but as I fired, I felt certain of her. 

 The smoke cleared from the thick bushes, and she lay 

 dead at six feet from the spot where I stood. The ball 

 was in the centre of her forehead, and B., who had 

 fired over my shoulder so instantaneously with me 

 that I was not aware of it, had placed his ball within 

 three inches of mine. Had she been missed, I should 

 have fired my last shot. 



This had been a glorious hunt ; many miles had 

 been gone over, but by great luck, when the wind 

 dropped and the elephant altered her course, she had 

 been making a circuit for the very field of korrakan at 

 which we had first found her. We were thus not more 

 than three miles from our resting-place, and the trackers 

 who know every inch of the country, soon brought us 

 to the main road. 



The poonchy and the bull elephant, having both 

 separated from the female, escaped. 



