A VETERAN OF TilE FOREST. 3.51 



periodical river ; and hero I came in full view of 

 the tallest and largest bull-elephant I had ever seen. 

 He stood broadside to me, at upwards of one hun- 

 dred yards, and 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. 



" 1 resolved to devote a short time to the con- 

 templation of this noble elephant before I should 

 lay him low. It was, indeed, a striking sight; and 

 as I gazed upon the stupendous veteran of the 

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

 follow on my own native hills, and felt that, though 

 the Fates had driven me to a distant land, it was 

 a good exchange which I had made, for I was now 

 a chief over boundless forests, which yielded un- 

 speakably more noble and exciting sport. 



" Having admired the elephant for a time, I made 

 some experiments for vulnerable points, and ap- 

 proaching very near, fired several bullets at different 

 parts of his enormous skull. These did not seem 

 to affect him in the slightest degree he only 

 acknowledged the shots by a 'salaam-like' move- 

 ment of his trunk, with the point of which he 

 irentlv touched the wound with a striking and 



o . o 



peculiar action. Surprised and shocked to tind 

 that I was only tormenting and prolonging the 

 sufferings of the noble beast, which bore his trials 

 with such dignified composure, 1 resolved to finish 

 the proceeding with all pos>ible dispatch ; accord- 

 ingly, I opened fire upon him behind the shoulder, 

 and tired six shots with the two-grooved, which 

 must eventually have proved mortal, but as yet he 



