148 SIR VICTOR BROOKE CHAP. 



as he sent his deadly messenger with a crash into the 

 " monster's " head. It was a sore blow, but the poor 

 old fellow bore it gallantly. 



Swinging round with a quickness that would con- 

 siderably surprise the fine fellows that talk about the 

 clumsiness of an elephant, he was making off after the 

 others, who were roaring, smashing, trumpeting, as they 

 jostled each other in their headlong flight. But it was 

 not to be. My second barrel fired at the moment he 

 turned nearly sent him down, but he recovered again. 

 I seized my second gun, which was only a Westley 

 Richards smooth-bore shot-gun loaded with ball. As 

 I did so, Hamilton fired all his barrels at the old 

 fellow's head ; he staggered and fell on to his tusk, 

 recovered, came a short way towards us, his small eye 

 gleaming with rage and fury. Running up to within 

 8 yards of him, I fired both barrels bang in his 

 face; but it only seemed to revive him; for twisting his 

 tail up over his back he rushed off, upsetting bamboos 

 and large clumps of thorny thickets, screeching and 

 trumpeting with blasts that shook the whole place. 

 Poor old Hamilton was so horrified at his apparent 

 escape, that he ran after him, bursting through thorns 

 and all impediments with a fury nearly as terrible as 

 that of the elephant himself. With a trembling hand 

 and an aching heart I loaded as fast as I could and 

 then ran after Hamilton. I came upon him standing 

 in an old dry nullah, down which the wounded elephant 

 had gone, looking pale and thoroughly disgusted. 

 " We must follow till we get him ! " said I to him. 

 He only shook his head. " We'll do our best ! " said 

 the dear old fellow ; " but I am afraid he's lost ! " As 

 soon as Hamilton was loaded away I went down the 

 track. After a bit it led out of the nullah up an 

 awful bank, and then for some time away along through 



