With Flashlight and Rifle -* 



quite clearly that I experienced at this moment no feeling 

 of anxiety, but merely one of intense suspense and curiosity 

 as to what my fate would be. A thousand thoughts 

 seemed to flash simultaneously through my mind and 

 then make way for a sort of apathetic sense of resignation, 

 coupled with the reflection that the elephants were well 

 within their rights in wreaking vengeance upon their 

 attackers ! 



In front of me ran my men, who had thrown everything 

 aside, and as I ran, clasping my rifle in my right hand, 

 I felt instinctively for cartridges in the left-hand pocket 

 of my breeches, saying to myself as I did so that a few 

 more bullets more or less counted for nothing against 

 so great a number of animals. 



We had fled to one side, as I have mentioned, because 

 this is the way to escape a charging elephant, owing to 

 his defective eyesight. Just as I felt that they must be 

 upon us, I heard in the midst of the muffled thunder of 

 their stampede a terrible trumpeting, and in the same 

 moment one of my men, now far ahead, called out to me : 

 " They are running away, master ! " 



Turning round I find that the bull I shot has fallen 

 to the ground, and that all the others have taken flight 

 to the side in the direction in which they had originally 

 started. Seeing this, my best men hurry up, and I 

 succeed in getting a bullet into the shoulder of a very 

 large but apparently ailing cow, which is bringing up the 

 rear for, there being now no longer any danger of death, 

 my anxiety to get hold of a young elephant has come 

 back to me. Before I could reload, the entire herd 



