With Flashlight and Rifle -* 



of photographing" the elephants again in the act of taking- 

 flight, so I packed away my camera carefully in its case 

 in expectation of exciting events to come. Then I 

 took up my rifle and, as a nearer approach could not 

 be made for lack of cover, shot the largest bull elephant 

 that was nearest to me high up on the trunk. I had fired 

 kneeling. The elephant showed that he was hit by taking 

 three or four steps forward, swinging up his trunk, and 

 moving his great ears about like a fan. Simultaneously the 

 whole mass of elephants began to show signs of animation. 

 I was reminded of the disturbing of a bee-hive or of an 

 ants' nest by the way in which, with surprising quickness, 

 they all, old and young, swarmed out of their resting- 

 place, spreading out their ears and swinging or rolling 

 up their trunks, as they searched all round them for their 

 enemy. From my kneeling position (my men were lying 

 flat on the ground beside me) I now sent two more bullets 

 at the elephant I had already shot ; then the whole herd, 

 led by an old cow with trunk rolled up, set off suddenly in 

 full flight, as though at a word of command, and not in 

 the direction of the velt, as I had expected, or for the 

 hills behind them, but sideways to the right. 



It was a real delight the grand spectacle of these five- 

 and-twenty elephants a hundred and fifty yards off charo-in<>- 



J 1 * ' O O 



past me ! On they went with extraordinary speed almost 

 without a sound, in spite of their tremendous weight. 

 The wounded bull elephant was a little to one side, 

 nearer me, and jumping up I was able to get another 

 bullet into his shoulder. My shot, however, had this 

 result, that the whole herd suddenly stopped, with the 



176 



