232 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



largest. The powder had become damp, the gun hung 

 fire till he was in the act of taking it from his shoulder, 

 when it went off, and the ball grazed the side of the 

 large elephant's head. She stopped for an instant, and 

 then rushed furiously forward. Whether struck down 

 or not, he could never say, but Lieut. Moodie fell. 

 The animal had only one tusk, which missed him as she 

 rushed upon him, but it ploughed up the earth within 

 an inch or two of his body. She then caught him by 

 the middle with her trunk, threw him between her fore- 

 feet, and battered him with them for a short time ; one 

 of these huge feet once pressed him so much, that his 

 bones bent tinder its weight. He did not lose his re- 

 collection, and he constantly was able to twitch himself 

 on one side, and so avoid several blows. Two of his 

 party came up and fired at her, one bullet alone touch- 

 ing her in the shoulder. Her young ones then retreated, 

 and she left her victim, finally knocking him with her 

 hind-feet as she went off. He got up, picked up his 

 gun, and staggered away as fast as he could. She 

 turned round, looked after him, and he then lay down 

 in the long grass, and so eluded her observation. 



A soldier of the Royal African Corps did not escape 

 as Mr. Moodie did ; for an elephant caught him with 

 his trunk, carried him some distance, threw him down, 

 brought his four feet together, and trod and stamped 

 upon him till he was dead. He left the body, then 

 returned to it, knelt down upon, crushed and kneaded 

 it once more ; then he seized it with his trunk, bore it 

 to the jungle, and threw it among the bushes. 



One of the strongest instincts of the elephant is to 

 try the strength of everything before he ventures upon 

 it ; and it is almost impossible to induce him to trust 



