36 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. 



control my breath and steady my hand, pressed 

 the trigger. The bullet struck him right between 

 the eyes, bringing him to his knees as if poleaxed, 

 and as he struggled gamely to rise, I finished 

 him with another shot. 



On my men arriving and helping me up to 



THE DEAD ELEPHANT. 



the elephant to make my usual examination of 

 the prize, I was astonished to find that his tail 

 was absolutely devoid of hair. Sometimes, in old 

 elephants, the tails are found greatly denuded of 

 hair, only the stumps of the long, whalebone-like 

 bristles remaining as evidence of youthful, hir- 

 sute glory, but, in the specimen of which I 

 speak, no hairs have ever developed and the 



