22C THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. ix. 



elephant within six feet, as he came at me. I had just 

 time to fire my remaining barrel, and down he dropped 

 to the shot ! I jumped back a few paces to assure 

 myself of the result, as the smoke hanging in the high 

 grass, added to the darkness, completely blinded me. 

 Wallace pushed the spare rifle into my hand, and to 

 my astonishment I saw the head and cocked ears 

 again coming at me ! It was so dark that I could not 

 take an aim, but I floored him once more by a front 

 shot, and again I jumped back through the tangled 

 grass, just in time to avoid him, as he, for the third 

 time, recovered himself and charged. He was not five 

 paces from me ; I took a steady shot at him with 

 my last barrel, and I immediately bolted as hard as I 

 could run. This shot once more floored him, but he 

 must have borne a charmed life, as he again recovered 

 his legs, and to my great satisfaction he turned into 

 the jungle and retreated. This all happened in a few 

 seconds ; had it been daylight I could of course have 

 killed him, but as it happened I could not even dis- 

 tinguish the sights at the end of my rifle. In a few 

 minutes afterwards, it became pitch dark, and we could 

 only steer for the cave by the light of the fire, which 

 was nearly two miles distant. 



The next day, we found a herd of eight elephants in 

 very favourable ground, and succeeded in killing seven ; 

 but this was the last herd in the Park, and after a few 



