138 SIR VICTOR BROOKE CHAP. 



Keeping a sharp eye on the bamboos below, as I still 

 fancied my friend was there, I examined the edge all 

 along to see if she had gone out at the top. To my 

 disgust I found she had ; but I had barely found the 

 track when I heard a crash in the jungle below me, and 

 there I saw two elephants sneaking their way quietly and 

 easily through the matted mass of bamboo. They kept 

 a line parallel to me as I dodged from tree to tree along 

 the brow. As I calculated when they came to the 

 place where the other had charged me, they bore up 

 the hill towards me, and a little farther on, with a lot 

 of creepers round the head, out strode a magnificent 

 elephant. She was about 1 5 yards off, and waiting 

 for the angle I dropped her dead as an egg in her 

 tracks. Before I had pulled the other came charging 

 out, having winded me, I expect. I took her coolly, 

 and laid her side by side with her friend and com- 

 panion. It was a nice double shot, Charley, old boy, 

 and I now felt fully 7 feet high in my stockings at that 

 moment. The rest of the herd had made clean off, 

 two of them, poor beggars, with a headache, I fear. I 

 now returned to examine the two others, and to my 

 surprise and disgust found that the one that had the 

 awful tumble was nowhere to be seen. Presently, on 

 peering about, we saw her standing, looking most un- 

 comfortable, under a bamboo. This was awkward. I 

 had, so to speak, only two single barrels to kill her 

 with, and after the heavy charge in the thick bamboo I 

 dared not trust the men. There was no choice, how- 

 ever, so down I went, gingerly enough, it must be owned. 

 Before I was near her she heard and smelt me, and 

 stalked sulkily off towards a swamp. Being anxious 

 to silence her before she got into such dangerous ground, 

 I ran quickly after her. She heard me as I approached, 

 and pulled up in the most determined manner, and 



