:32 THE RIFLE AND HOUND IN CEYLON, chap. x. 



through men's minds in such hopeless positions, flew 

 through mine, and I resolved to wait for him till he 

 was close upon me, before I fired, hoping that he might 

 lower his trunk and expose his forehead. 



He rushed along at the pace of a horse in full speed , 

 in a few moments, as the grass flew to the right and 

 left before him, he was close upon me, but still his 

 trunk was raised and I would not fire. One second 

 more, and at this headlong pace he was within three 

 feet of me ; down slashed his trunk with the rapidity 

 of a whip-thong! and with a shrill scream of fury he 

 was upon me ! 



I fired at that instant ; but in a twinkling of an eye 

 I was flying through the air like a ball from a bat. At 

 the moment of firing I had jumped to the left, but he 

 struck me with his tusk in full charge upon my right 

 thigh, and hurled me eight or ten paces from him. 

 That very moment he stopped, and, turning round, he 

 beat the grass about with his trunk, and commenced a 

 strict search for me. I heard him advancing close to 

 the spot where I lay as still as death, knowing that my 

 last chance lay in concealment. I heard the grass 

 rustling close to me ; closer and closer he approached, 

 and he at length beat the grass with his trunk 

 several times exactly above me. I held my breath, 

 momentarily expecting to feel his ponderous foot 

 upon me. Although I had not felt the sensation of 

 fear while I had stood opposed to him, I felt like 



