chap. V. A NARROW ESCAPE. 95 



My back was touching the jungle from which the 

 rogue had just charged, and I was almost in the act of 

 firing through the temple of the still struggling ele- 

 phant, when I heard a tremendous crash in the jungle 

 behind me similar to the first, and the savage scream 

 of an elephant. I saw the ponderous fore-leg cleave 

 its way through the jungle directly upon me. I threw 

 my whole weight back against the thick rattans to 

 avoid him, and the next moment his foot was planted 

 within an inch of mine. His lofty head was passing 

 over me in full charge at B., who was unloaded, when, 

 holding the four-ounce rifle perpendicularly, I fired 

 exactly under his throat. I thought he would fall 

 and crush me, but this shot was the only chance, as 

 B. was perfectly helpless. 



A dense cloud of smoke from the heavy charge of 

 powder for the moment obscured everything. I had 

 jumped out of the way the instant after firing. The 

 elephant did not fall, but he had his death blow 

 the ball had severed his jugular, and the blood poured 

 from the wound. He stopped, but collecting his 

 stunned energies he still blundered forward towards B. 

 He, however, avoided him by running to one side, and 

 the wounded brute staggered on through the jungle. 

 We now loaded the guns ; the first rogue was quite 

 dead, and we followed in pursuit of rogue number two. 

 We heard distant shots, and upon arriving at the spot 

 we found the gun-bearers. They had heard the 



