144 CAUTION WHEN STALKING THEM. 



on creeping up I saw another, but when I was about forty 

 yards from them they both quietly walked away ; a little 

 further on we found them standing in a small open space 

 where a third had joined them. I crept up to some bushes 

 and on looking through saw one of them facing me, another 

 nearly broadside on and the third a little way behind them. 

 Not being quite certain where to hit the one facing me, I 

 took the one which was broadside on, aiming at the hollow 

 over the eye, or rather between the eye and the ear ; at the 

 shot down she went, to my intense satisfaction. The others 

 stood for an instant and then dashed away crashing through 

 .the jungle; had I been an experienced hand I might have 

 had a crack at one of them before they bolted, but fearing 

 that the fallen one might get up again, I reserved my shot. 

 The two native shikaries had bolted at the very first crash. 

 The fallen elephant, however, remained quite still, but seeing 

 its eyes moving I went close up and put a bullet through 

 the back of its head and afterwards a third into the hollow 

 above the base of the trunk, but the first shot had killed her. 

 A fine female ; we cut off her tail and went our way highly 

 delighted. 



In shooting wild elephants care should always be taken 

 that there is a tree handy to get behind in case you fail to 

 kill and the animal charges, and every one who goes in for 

 this sport ought to know the precise position of the brain and 

 where to place the bullet. The diagram on the opposite 

 page, made upon the rules drawn up by Michael, gives 

 the various positions. 



On the 6th of September, 1855, when on the Anna- 

 mullies I killed my first tusker. I had breakfasted very 

 early, and took my whole battery with me all loaded for 



