ELEPHANT SHOOTING 



path, whispering to me, " This is fresh, master ! " We 

 went on very cautiously, spreading out a bit to keep a 

 better look-out, our party consisting of two Singhalese 

 and two of my Tamils, one of whom was only a small 

 boy named Govinden, my snipe marker, who had wept 

 bitterly when I had refused at first to take him out after 

 elephants. He begged me to try him, swearing to be 

 quiet and not afraid, and I have reason, as the sequel 

 shows, to be for ever grateful that I did try him on that 

 occasion. We soon picked up fresh tracks, but had to 

 give up as darkness set in, and we returned to camp. I 

 got up next morning full of hope, feeling there was a 

 "red letter" day before me, and was soon off in search 

 of tracks, which we came upon with very little delay, quite 

 fresh, and naturally leading us to expect a speedy meeting. 



Not a bit of it, however ; mile after mile, hour after 

 hour the track led us, up hill and down dale, through 

 forest, scrub, and swamp, until we were almost " cooked." 

 At one time a dark form appeared silently before me, but 

 it was only a grand buck elk, on which I " drew a bead," 

 but allowed to pass unscathed nobler game was my 

 object that day. Shortly after this, just as I entered a 

 small open glade, one of the trackers suddenly said, " Look 

 out ! here is the elephant ! " and the next moment I saw 

 him, trunk tucked up, ears spread, almost on top of me, 

 coming through a patch of grass which reached to his 

 chin. I was taken by surprise, having only just time to 

 cock my rifle and let fly both barrels at his head, at a 

 few feet distance, as he came along screaming like a steam 

 siren, finding myself on my back next moment grasping 

 a broken-stocked empty 12-bore rifle (unfortunately a 

 borrowed one), and feeling " all at sea." 



I looked round for old Nippuna and the spare .577, 



121 



