DESPERATE CHARGE. 349 



tlie hope it might so far change as to expose the 

 outer part of his shoulder the preferable point, as I 

 have said, to aim at when shooting at night. But, un- 

 fortunately, this chance was not afforded until he 

 was close upon me, when the nature of the ground 

 caused him to incline somewhat to one side. The 

 consequence was, that, while in the act of raising 

 the muzzle of my rifle over the " screen," my 

 person caught his eye, and before I could place the 

 piece to my shoulder, he swung himself round, and, 

 with trunk elevated and ears cocked, desperately 

 charged me. It was now too late to think of flight, 

 much less of slaying the savage beast. Mv own life 



4/ O *' 



was in imminent jeopardy, and seeing that, if I 

 remained partially erect, he would inevitably seize 

 me with his proboscis, I threw myself on my back 

 with some violence, in which position, and whilst 

 his enormous bulk towered above my head, F, with- 

 out shouldering my rifle, fired upwards at random 

 towards his chest, uttering, at the same time, the 

 most piercing shouts and cries. This change of 

 position in all probability saved my life ; for, at the 

 same instant, the trunk of the enraged animal de- 

 scended precisely on the spot where 1 had been 

 previously crouched, sweeping away the stones 

 (manv of a large size) that formed the fore part of 

 my "screen," like so many pebbles. In another 

 moment his broad fore-feet passed directly over mv 

 face. 



1 now expected nothing short of being crushed 

 to death. But imngine my relief when, instead of 

 renewing the charge, he stferved to the left, and 



