A Fearsome Fight 87 



stop and look about enquiringly, I noted that the herd 

 had also paused, their dim forms swaying to and fro, 

 as they endeavoured to find out by sight or scent the 

 cause of their alarm. Presently another yell completed 

 their undoing, and they turned and made for the sea 

 again. Now I do not pretend to any daring whatever, 

 but if I did, I think I should have been justified in 

 wishing to be elsewhere then. The charge of that troop 

 of monsters down upon our little band, entirely un- 

 versed in this warfare, and armed only with clubs not 

 much heavier than a policeman's truncheon, was a 

 severe test of nerve and faith. 



But our chief saved the situation. He faced the 

 leader and smote him so felly upon the spot he had 

 indicated to us, that the vast mass of the body collapsed 

 like a burst bladder and spread itself upon the ground. 

 That fired us, and immediately we were all doing 

 likewise, yelling like demons at the same time. Why, 

 I do not know, but so it was. But we were not to come 

 off scatheless. One man missed his blow and his 

 footing at the same time, and putting his left arm out 

 to save himself from falling thrust it into the monster's 

 gaping jaws. Now the Sea Elephant can crack pebbles 

 as large as goose-eggs like nuts, and does do so, ap- 

 parently for sport, so that when we drew Sandy from 

 underneath his fallen foe, and prising open the jaw, 

 released his arm, it looked more like some shreds of 

 red rag than anything else. Some rude * first aid ' 

 was applied, and the work of slaughter went on. 



The upshot of the raid was twenty-one elephants 

 killed, of which I know our chief was responsible for 

 ten. And we were a study in ruffianism — ' gaumed * 

 all over with blood and grease, stumbling over the 

 smallest stone from very weariness after the reaction 

 had come, yet compelled to toil on with only a few 



