S//^ VICTOR BROOKE'S TUSKER. 239 



and broadside on. He was about fifty yards from us, and therefore out of 

 all elephant-shooting range, but the difficulty was to shorten the distance. 

 To approach direct was impossible, owing to the absolute want of cover, so 

 after some deliberation we decided on working to the right, and endeavouring 

 to creep up behind a solitary tree which stood about twenty yards behind the 

 elephant. When within ten yards of this tree we found, to our annoyance, 

 a watchful old cow, who was not further than fifteen yards from us, and to 

 our right, and had decided suspicions of our proximity. To attempt to gain 

 another foot would have been to run the risk of disturbing the elej^hants. 

 Seeing this, and knowing the improbability of our ever getting the bull out- 

 side the herd again, Colonel Hamilton recommended me to creep a little 

 to the left so as to get the shot behind his ear, and to try the effect of 

 my big Purdey rifle, while he kept his eye on the old cow in case her 

 curiosity should induce her to become unpleasant. I should mention that we 

 now, for the first time, perceived that the old bull had only one perfect tusk, 

 the left one being a mere stump, projecting but a little beyond the upper 

 lip. I accordingly followed Colonel Hamilton's suggestion. At the shot 

 the old bull, with a shrill trumpet of pain and rage, swung round on his 

 hind-legs as on a pivot, receiving my second barrel, and two from Colonel 

 Hamilton. This staggered the old fellow dreadfully, and as he stood facing 

 us Colonel Hamilton ran up within twelve yards of him with a very large 

 single-bore rifle, and placed a bullet between his eyes. Had tlie rifle been 

 as good as it was big I believe this would have ended the fray; but though 

 its shock produced a severe momentary effect, the bullet had, as we after- 

 wards ascertained, only penetrated three or four inches into the cancellous 

 tissue of the frontal bones. After swaying backwards and forwards for a 

 moment or two, during which I gave him both barrels of my second rifle, 

 the grand old beast seemed to rally all his forces, and rolling up his trunk, 

 and sticking his tail in the air, rushed off trumpeting and whistling like 

 a steam-engine. Colonel Hamilton followed and fired two more hurried 

 shots, while I remained behind to load the empty rifles. This completed, 

 I joined my friend, whom I found standing in despair at the edge of a 

 small ravine overgrown with tangled underwood, into which the tusker 

 had disappeared. For some little time I found it difficult to persuade 

 Colonel Hamilton to continue the chase. Long experience had taught him 

 how rarely elephants when once alarmed are met with a second time the 

 same day. At length, however, finding that I was determined to follow 

 the tracks of the noble beast until I lost them, even should it involve sleep- 

 ing upon them, my gallant old friend gave way and entered eagerly into a 

 pursuit whicli at the time he considered almost, if not absolutely, useless. 



