CHAPTER VII. 



MY FIRST ELEPHANT AND ANOTHER, 



IT WAS luck, if there is such a thing, that gave me my first elephant. On the 

 morning of July 31st I went out to try to shoot some game, taking with me a 

 man named Kachapakaenda. This man was an Angoni. 



We were going along looking for game, or spoor fresh enough to follow, when 

 my man picked up a leaf that had been presumably chewed and thrown down by an 

 elephant. A look around soon revealed the tracks of three or four of these animals. 

 On looking into my cartridge-bag I found I had only five cartridges for the '303 

 loaded with solid bullets, but plenty of hollow point, which are almost useless for 

 such large game as elephants. However, I loaded the rifle with the solids and went 

 on. I suppose we had gone half a mile when we heard the elephants breaking 

 branches just ahead. I found no difficulty in getting to within twenty-five yards, and 

 was just going to fire at one broadside on when the native pointed at one directly 

 facing me, and said it was the biggest. There were only three elephants in sight, 

 but I heard the fourth busy feeding about thirty yards off. As the animal facing me 

 was engaged in twisting off a large branch from a high tree, and his head was well 

 up, I aimed at the top of his chest where the short neck joins the body. On 

 receiving the bullet he subsided backwards, screaming loudly. One on the left then 

 began to make a grumbling sound and a few shrill screams. At first I thought he 

 was to come on, but he changed his mind and went of?, receiving a bullet about the 

 shoulder. The other two also decamped, so I finished the one on the ground,, which 

 took my remaining three solid-bullet, cartridges. . • a ■■'■ 



I reloaded the rifle with hollow-point cartridges and went after the wounded 

 animal, but could not.- find him. Coming.back to the elephant, 1 cut of? his tail and 

 started back to Fort Manning, and on the way came on a fine roan antelope bull. 

 He bolted first of all, but came to a stand about one hundred yards away, and 

 I knocked him down, and finished him with another bullet. We cut off his head, 

 which took some time and trouble, as I had only a small knife with me, and the 

 pative carried the head and the elephant tail^ while I carried the rifle and bags. 



Next day I brought my kod.ak, and men to cut up the dead elephant, and after 

 getting them started on this work I. went off. .with two men to try and spoor up the 



