96 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. ix 



their heads, much as bullocks do when fighting, 

 their tusks locked, their gigantic bodies swaying and 

 staggering under the terrific force brought into play, 

 and this silent struggle continued until the larger of 

 the Titans, wrenching his head free, raised his trunk 

 and brought it down with a resounding whack on 

 his antagonist's neck. To this stinging punishment, 

 his opponent replied with a smashing blow on the 

 shoulder with his tusk and, as if desirous of bringing 

 the contest to a close, the larger elephant withdrew 

 and stood some distance apart. 

 Once more, the smaller bull 

 opened hostilities by charging 

 straight at his antagonist, butting 

 him full in the ribs with his 

 head and tusks, the sound of 

 the collision distinctly reaching 

 us where we crouched watching 

 this unique conflict. As I gazed 

 spell-bound, the extraordinary 

 sight, by some strange mental 

 trick, induced a peculiar sense 

 of unreality, and it seemed, as if 

 by some fantastic power, I had 

 been carried back to the far- 

 away pleistocene and was looking 

 on in that morning of the world, at some war of 

 primeval monsters. The larger bull, staggering 



PIECE OF BROKEN 

 TUSK. 



