186 THE ELEPHANT. 



could not fly with the same rapidity. The hunters, 

 cutting off her retreat, prepared to kill her, when sud- 

 denly the male, rushing with fury from his retreat, 

 and uttering frightful cries, threw himself upon them. 

 His aspect at this moment was so terrible that all the 

 hunters, leaping on their horses, fled to save their lives 

 all except Cobus Klopper, who had wounded the 

 female, and who, standing up with the bridle of his 

 horse passed over his arm, was reloading his gun at 

 the moment when the furious animal came out of the 

 wood. The elephant rushed upon him, driving his 

 ivory tusks into the body of the poor fellow ; he after- 

 wards trampled him beneath his feet, then lifting him 

 from the ground with his trunk, he threw him to a 

 great height. Having satiated his vengeance he re- 

 turned towards the female, caressed her affectionately 

 with his trunk, helped her to rise, sustained with his 

 shoulder her wounded side, and, without paying any 

 attention to the shots which the hunters fired from a 

 distance, he soon disappeared with her in the impene- 

 trable retreats of the forest. 



Karol Krieger was an indefatigable and bold hunter. 

 He shot with much address, and often found himself 

 in very dangerous situations. Once, with his com- 

 panions, he pursued a wounded elephant ; the animal 

 suddenly turned round, seized him with his trunk, 

 threw him into the air, and trampled him under his 



