382 THE ELEPHANT. 



broken branches, produced by the elephants burst- 

 ing through the wood, and the tremendous screams 

 of their wrathful voices resounding among the 

 precipitous banks. Immediately a large female, 

 accompanied by two others of a smaller size, issued 

 from the edge of the jungle which skirted the mar- 

 gin. As they were not more than two hundred 

 yards off, and were proceeding directly towards me, 

 I had not much time to decide on my motions. 

 Being alone, and in the midst of a little open plain, 

 I saw that I must inevitably be caught, should I 

 fire in this position, and my shot not take effect. 

 I therefore retreated hastily out of their direct path, 

 thinking they would not observe me until I should 

 find a better opportunity to attack them. But in 

 this I was mistaken, for on looking back I per- 

 ceived, to my dismay, that they had left their 

 former course, and were rapidly pursuing and 

 gaining ground on me. Under these circumstances 

 I determined to reserve my fire as a last resource, 

 and turning off at right angles in the opposite direc- 

 tion, I made for the banks of the small river, with 

 a view to taking refuge among the rocks on the other 

 side, where I should have been safe. But before I 

 got within fifty paces of the river, the elephants 

 were within twenty yards of me, the large female 

 in the middle, and the other two on either side of 

 her, apparently with the intention of making sure 

 of me ; all of them screaming so tremendously that 

 I was almost stunned with the noise. I immediately 

 turned round, cocked my gun, and aimed at the 

 head of the largest the female. But the gun un- 



