A STEXN CHASE AND UNEXPECTED CHANGE 311 



sound emitted from a steam-pipe when suddenly turned on, 

 off he sailed away at a great pace through the slim 

 bamboos, which bent, cracked, and waved about beneath his 

 strides like reeds. I immediately dashed away in his wake, 

 determined to get in a shot somewhere, with the intention 

 eventually, of course, of following him up to the bitter end, even 

 though I should have to sleep on his trail for another week. 



After keeping up with the animal in his immediate rear 

 for some 200 yards, and finding that I could not outflank him 

 so as to obtain a raking shoulder-shot, I fired in desperation 

 at the huge target that presented itself, my shot apparently 

 taking effect under the tail. The effect was magical in 

 the extreme, and, contrary to all my expectations and 

 experiences with elephants, the huge beast wheeled round 

 with a shriek and charged straight down upon me at a great 

 pace. I was too breathless and jumpy from the sharp run I 

 had just undergone with the heavy 8-bore, to shoot straight, 

 and having only one chamber loaded I fired wildly, aiming 

 for the bump or forehead shot, jumping to one side immediately 

 after. 



The shot could not have hit the elephant, as he did not stop 

 or swerve from his course in the slightest. My friend with 

 the 12-bore was non est, poor man; he thought, I have no 

 doubt, that the weight of three-score years and ten warranted 

 his getting out of danger's way. As can be imagined, I did not 

 wait to see any more, but dashed off at a tangent, jamming in 

 two cartridges as I fled, the heavy 8-bore, although weigh- 

 ing quite 1 8 Ibs., feeling as light as a feather. I was, how- 

 ever, in the pink of condition and as hard as nails. The 

 elephant caught a glimpse of me as I dashed to one side, being 

 then not quite ten paces- off, and swerving round slightly to- 

 wards me, stood for a few seconds, after which, wheeling round, 

 he sailed away again in the direction he had first taken when 

 fired at by me. 



After collecting my men, who scrambled like so many 

 monkeys down from the various trees outside the patch in 

 which the elephant had taken up his quarters, and instructing 

 them to follow behind slowly, my tracker and a gun-bearer and 

 I took on the tracks, and kept steadily on. It was then about 



