WITH FLASH-LIGHT AND RIFLE 



at his heart. Patience is as great a virtue in hunting 

 elephants as quick decision. There are only two shots 

 which unfailingly tell, one aimed at the spot between 

 the eye and the ear, the other aimed at the heart, both 

 from the side. From the front the brain can only be 

 reached by a shot which strikes the part of the head 

 where the trunk begins. A shot aimed higher will not 

 hurt the animal, but may have fatal results for the 

 hunter. Of course there are other shots which may 

 tell, if they are fired from a large -caliber rifle and at 

 close range; for instance, if one hits a bone in the leg. 



Luck is as essential a factor as skill in shooting the 

 pachyderm giants. A shot may hit a vital spot and 

 not kill the animal instantly, but give time for him to 

 take revenge on his foe. I had many a narrow escape, 

 and many hunters have paid the death penalty for 

 their daring in hunting the "tembo." There is no 

 counting on what the African elephant may do. The 

 hunter has to be constantly on his guard, and must be 

 quick-witted. 



I shall never forget an experience I once had with 

 two male elephants. For many days I had observed, 

 from the top of a hill, a herd of elephants. I proposed 

 to take a number of good pictures of the animals, and 

 was waiting for the clouds to scatter. At last the 

 clouds broke and the sun came out. I took some ex- 

 cellent distance-pictures, and felt at liberty to gratify 

 my suppressed desire to have a shot at the two enor- 



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