ELEPHANT 203 



to do it, nothing could prevent them. No tree, no shelter, 

 no hiding place of any sort. As the black bulk of the herd 

 rose above me, I felt as a man might feel who proposed to 

 himself to shoot into one of our high New York Central 

 locomotives, with about as much chance of knocking 

 it off the line, as he had of bringing down this mountain 

 of black life. 



When we had crawled within about fifty yards, there 

 was, for some cause or other, a movement in the long black 

 line. It grew longer, stretched out, and for a moment or 

 two threatened to bend inwards toward us at each end. 

 The elephants seemed to suspect something, and the curv- 

 ing trunks were held high in air, and the great black ears 

 rose upright at right angles to the heads, standing out on 

 either side like sails of a boat running dead before the wind, 

 and going "wing and wing." 



We had, naturally, an anxious time of it for those few 

 moments as we crouched watchfully in the grass. Any 

 flank movement of the herd would give it our wind, and 

 they then would come down on us, or rush away. Their 

 suspicions died down, and they again stood still. 



Now was our time. Perhaps fifteen yards nearer we 

 pressed. I was, of course, to do the shooting, H. to fire 

 after me. My bull kept moving his head up and down, so 

 I determined, rather than risk the head shot, to take him in 

 the shoulder and well forward. I picked my spot and fired, 

 H. firing immediately afterward. 



Then arose pandemonium! First they all seemed to 

 rush together, then wheel outward, facing in all directions. 

 Then such trumpeting and noise of mingled cries! My 

 bull stood for a moment, and as he wheeled I shot him 

 again, when, to my surprise, I admit, he crashed to earth 

 with a rumbling noise, and never seemed to stir again. 

 Now the herd swayed and rocked, all huddled together. 

 At one moment it looked as if they would sweep forward, 



