xiii STIRRING TIMES AT LECUNDI 129 



aside. This bullet most indubitably saved my life, 

 thanks to my trusty tracker, Simba, who, seeing my 

 predicament, and being only a few yards behind, 

 had promptly fired my 1075 r ^ e m tne elephant's 

 face. Springing back at once, I hastily snatched 

 the rifle from my man's grasp and rained the three 

 remaining bullets into the retreating elephant, the 

 denseness of the bush, however, preventing my 

 placing a vital shot. He at once sought cover in 

 almost impenetrable elephant grass, fully twelve to 

 seventeen feet in height, clearing a narrow path from 

 which it was impossible for a man to diverge a foot, 

 owing to the intensely compact growth which rose as 

 impervious as a solid wall on either side. Knowing 

 that it would be futile to follow him up in this awful 

 jungle, I ran to the right in the hope of rounding him 

 off, and made for a hill comparatively free from 

 vegetation about two hundred yards further on, cal- 

 culating that, if the animal had not already collapsed 

 among the long grass, I should probably get 

 home a decisive shot from that eminence. My con- 

 jecture proved correct, for on reaching the summit 

 of the hill I could see him dragging himself along 

 among the giant grass evidently in extremis, so 

 handing my heavy rifle to Simba and grasping my 

 light rifle, I dropped the animal with a bullet through 

 the heart. This was rather a fortunate shot, for, the 

 length and denseness of the grass only allowing me 



K 



