94 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



This was long a standing joke, whether strictly a 

 fact no one can say ; but that two elephants lay dead 

 was undoubtedly true. 



The shikarie carried one rifle, I the other ; the 

 coolie kept at a distance. About seven we came upon 

 the fresh spoor of two elephants ; they had fed along 

 quietly, and we had no difficulty in following them. 

 Those who wish to slay these leviathans in their 

 forest homes, need be sound of wind and limb, for 

 it is not child's play following them, for quietly 

 as they feed along they are ever on the move and 

 get over the ground far faster than one would 

 credit. On this occasion we followed and followed 

 up to 3 P.M. with only half an hour's rest. 

 About four we saw the game, a few yards apart, 

 pulling down and browsing on the tender shoots of 

 the female bamboos. The noise they made dead- 

 ened the sound of our footsteps. I reached a 

 buttress tree which afforded good shelter and was 

 within easy shot. The animals differed greatly. 

 The nearer to me was an old male with very 

 large tusks ; the other was in his prime, very hand- 

 some to look at, in fact it was almost too bad to slay 

 him. What a beauty he would have been for rid- 

 ing purposes ! But there were no means of catch- 

 ing him, and the thirst for slaughter was strong upon 

 me. Bidding the shikarie stand close and hand 

 the spare rifle quickly, I stepped aside, waited until 

 the old one afforded a good temple shot, and then 

 fired. Down he fell. The other one turned round 

 and gave me a front shot. I dropped him dead. 

 I never thought of the first, which I deemed to be 

 as dead as Julius Caesar, but he picked himself 



