MY FIRST TUSKER. 1 47 



still over thirty paces from me. I wanted to get nearer but 

 they told me to fire, so I aimed to hit him between the eye 

 and ear. At the shot down he went, but my exultation was 

 short-lived, for he kicked up a tremendous dust, evidently 

 trying to get on his legs again, and before I could get down 

 my side of the ravine he was going up the other as if nothing 

 had happened. I fired at him again, with a projectile, aiming 

 behind the ear ; it stopped and staggered him, but he held on, 

 going very slowly. We managed by running quickly to get 

 in front of him ; and as we came to a bit of open forest 

 posted ourselves behind a large tree. We heard him below 

 us crashing through a thick clump of bamboo ; presently he 

 appeared right in front of us going up the hill, head low, 

 and looking very groggy. I advanced a pace or two from 

 the tree, knelt down so as to get low enough for the shot 

 between the eyes, took a steady aim and sent a projectile 

 into his brain ; he fell dead on his side without a struggle. 

 Vyapooree, the head karder, made me fire a couple more 

 shots to make sure, which I did, although I felt certain he 

 was quite dead. The karders were highly delighted. I 

 measured him round the forefoot and from the foot to the 

 shoulder ; twice the circumference of the former exactly 

 corresponded with the latter, viz., nine feet eight inches ; 

 his tusk at the thickest part was sixteen and a half inches 

 in circumference — one four feet nine and the other four 

 feet eight in length. It was just five o'clock when I killed 

 him, and we were a long way from home. We lost the 

 path in the dark, and had to grope our way through the 

 jungle to the river, and it was no easy work crossing ; I was 

 once or twice nearly down amongst the rocks and stones ; 

 but the kaders brought me home safely. 



