HUNTING ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 281 



elephants were so near that I really expected to feel one of 

 their trunks lay hold of me. I rode up to Kleinboy for my 

 double-barrelled two-grooved rifle ; he and Isaac were pale 

 and almost speechless with fright. Returning to the charge, 

 I was soon once more alongside, and, firing from the saddle, 

 I sent another brace of bullets into the wounded elephant. 

 Colesburg was extremely unsteady, and destroyed the correct- 

 ness of my aim. 



The "friend" now seemed resolved to do some mischief, 

 and charged me furiously, pursuing me to a distance of 

 several hundred yards. I therefore deemed it proper to give 

 her a gentle hint to act less officiously, and, accordingly, hav- 

 ing loaded, I approached within thirty yards, and gave it her 

 right and left, behind the shoulder, upon which she at once 

 made off with drooping trunk, evidently with a mortal wound. 

 I never recur to this my first day's elephant shooting without 

 regretting my folly in securing only one elephant. The first 

 was now dying, and could not leave the ground, and the 

 second was also mortally wounded, and I had only to follow 

 and finish her ; but I foolishly allowed her to escape, while 

 I amused myself with the first, which kept walking backward, 

 ad standing by every tree she passed. Two more shots 

 finished her ; on receiving them she tossed her trunk up and 

 down two or three times, and falling on her broadside against 

 a thorny tree, which yielded like grass before her enormous 

 weight, she uttered a deep, hoarse groan and expired. This 

 was a very handsome old cow elephant, and was decidedly 

 the best in the troop. She was in excellent condition, and 

 carried a long and perfect pair of tusks. I was in high spirits 

 at my success, and felt so perfectly satisfied with having 

 killed one, that, although it was still early in the day, and 

 my horses were fresh, I allowed the troop of five bulls to 

 remain unmolested, foolishly trusting to fall in with them 

 next day. How little did I then know of the habits of ele- 



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