IRoualexm George Oorfcon Cummina 287 



Halting my horse, I fired at his shoulder, and secured 

 him with a single shot. The ball caught him high upon 

 the shoulder-blade, rendering him instantly dead lame ; 

 and before the echo of the bullet could reach my car, 

 I plainly saw that the elephant was mine. The dogs 

 now came up and barked around him, but, finding 

 himself incapacitated, the old fellow seemed determined 

 to take it easy, and limping slowly to a neighbouring 

 tree, he remained stationary, eyeing his pursuers with 

 a resigned and philosophic air. 



/ resolved to devote a short time to the contemplation of 

 this noble elephant before I should lay him low ; accord- 

 ingly having off-saddled the horses beneath a shady 

 tree which was to be my quarters for the night and 

 ensuing day, I quickly kindled a fire and put on the 

 kettle, and in a very few minutes my coffee was prepared. 

 TItere I sat in my forest home, coolly sipping my coffee with 

 one of the finest elephants in Africa awaiting my pleasure 

 beside a neighbouring tree. It was indeed a striking 

 scene ; and as I gazed upon the stupendous veteran 

 of the forest, I thought of the red deer which I loved to 

 follow in my native land, and felt that, though the Fates 

 had driven me to follow a more daring and arduous 

 avocation in a distant land, it was a good exchange 

 which I had made, for I was now a chief over boundless 

 forests which yielded unspeakably more noble and 

 exciting sport. 



Having admired the elepJiant for a considerable time I 

 resolved to make experiments for vulnerable points^ and, 

 approaching very near, I fired several bullets at different 

 parts of his enormous skull. These did not seem to 



