v AN ELEPHANT-CHARGE 137 



locality. This was evident by the dead silence after 

 the little noise which luckily attracted my attention. 

 Straining every nerve, I at length heard her drawing 

 in wind, and moving my head slightly I could just 

 make out the indistinct outline of her head. Fancying 

 I had the correct angle, I let fly, and down she sank 

 with an awful yell. Before she fairly reached the 

 ground she was up, and with the same fearful thunder- 

 ing trumpet the beggar made bang at me. Bamboos 

 that would hold a dray horse went like grass before 

 her. She had only 8 yards or so to come. It was 

 ticklish, seeing I could not kill her. I whipped up 

 Lancaster, and took two huge strides through the 

 beastly thick stuff to the right, and then squatted like 

 a hare. This was my best, indeed, as far as I can see, 

 only chance. The brute charged right up to the very 

 spot I fired from, and there, not 4 yards from me, and 

 offering no chance of killing her, she pulled up and 

 began to feel and sniff about with her trunk. I did 

 not like it one bit, to tell the truth, and mighty relieved 

 was I when I saw her steal off like a tiger. Waiting 

 quiet a second, I fancied the coast was clear, and was 

 sneaking off, not liking to carry on the attack from 

 below any longer, when to my disgust I heard a trumpet 

 and a crash, and the blackguard charged close up to 

 me again ; but so thick was the stuff I could not see a 

 sign of her, though I knew she was within 3 or 4 yards 

 of me. Down I squatted, and presently away she 

 sneaked again. The wind stood my firm friend on 

 both these unpleasant occasions. Cautiously creeping 

 away, I found all my men at a most safe distance, all 

 fancying I was nobbled. Describing a circuit to wind- 

 ward, I made for the top of the hill, which was clear, 

 comparatively speaking, a giant teak tree here and 

 there making a perfect place to nobble an elephant in. 



