Death of the Female 



iii 



heaves, blood flows from breast and shoulder, her 

 mouth opens and shuts, her lip trembles, tears flow 

 from her eyes, her limbs quiver ; with her trunk 

 hanging down, her head low, she sways to right and 

 left, then falls heavily on one side, shaking the ground 

 and spattering blood in every direction. . . . All is 

 over ! 



Such a spectacle is enough to make the most 

 hardened hunter feel remorse. It seemed to me that 

 I had done a bad action. Several times have I said 

 to myself, upon seeing these splendid animals suffer, 

 that I ought to place my rifle in the gun-rack for 

 ever. 



But this time, at least, it was the animal which 

 provoked us. If I had had a one-barrelled rifle only, 

 we were certainly lost : I had not the time to change 

 it, and to move would have been to betray our posi- 

 tion. Immediately the first shot was fired was she 

 not inclined to charge on the smoke ? My two bullets 

 fortunately followed each other at two or three seconds' 

 interval ; otherwise the animal would have been upon 

 us in two strides, and would have trampled one 

 of us under foot while the others plunged into the 

 reeds. I do not really know which is the more 

 terrible alternative in those moments to run at the 

 risk of bringing down upon your head the rage of the 

 animal which is looking for you, or else to remain 

 quiet with a very good chance of being discovered, 

 and not escaping from the fate which awaits you. 

 One must always beware of female elephants 

 which are feeding their young, especially females 



