THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 165 



away. Baker soon mounted and dashed toward the elephants, 

 but his horse stepped into a buffalo hole and fell hard on his leo-. 

 He fortunately extricated himself without difficulty, and, mount- 

 ing another horse, rode at full speed toward the fugitive game, 

 >vhich had gained considerable distance, and disappeared in the 

 wood. After a quarter of an hour of hard riding he saw 

 an enormous bull ploughing through the brush like an immense 

 engine, tearing down everything in his way. The country 

 was unfavorable for the hunter, on account of buffalo holes, 

 and though approaching within twenty yards, he was unable 

 to get a fair shot. Away they flew over ruts a.id gullies until 

 the ponderous brute was chased to another open plain, when 

 a ball was planted in his shoulder ; though badly struck the 

 elephant did not alter his course or speed until another shot was 

 put close to the first one. The animal now slackened his speed, 

 then turned about and made straight for his assailant, screaming 

 like an infuriated demon. Baker put spurs to his horse, having 

 urgent business in another vicinity, and. as he was not pursued 

 more than a hundred yards, made his escape. He prepared for 

 another attack by taking a larger gun and starting after the 

 wounded beast, but had gone less than a dozen yards when he 

 saw a closely-packed herd of eighteen elephants coming directly 

 toward him ; but as soon as they discovered him they broke off 

 in another direction. In the herd he noticed an uncommonly 

 large bull that was armed with an immense and beautiful pair of 

 tusks ; this one he determined to cut out from the others, and 

 by shouting succeeded in scattering them ; he now rode for the 

 chosen one, but the elephant seeing himself pursued, turned and 

 charged so determinedly upon his assailant that his escape 

 appeared for a time impossible ; fortunately, again the elephant 

 stopped, almost at the moment he might have caught the bold 

 hunter, and entered a thicket where a horse could not well follow. 

 Baker went into the woods to find the herd again, and soon came 

 upon the one he had wounded. It was standing in a painful 

 attitude as if upon the very point of dissolution, but the moment 

 its fiery eves rested upon the hunter the maddened beast charged 



