348 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



This finished, we again started on trail ; and as we 

 were following up the spoor of the day before, I 

 found unmistakable signs that a herd of elephants 

 had passed by within a very short time. We imme- 

 diately followed up at our best pace, and in a couple 

 of hours fell in with the rear-guard, consisting of 

 three females, which I had some difficulty in pre- 

 venting my companion from firing at, as they were 

 the fii'st wild elephants he had ever seen. I never 

 cared to pull trigger at the " gentler sex," and, as 

 the herd appeared to number about eleven, I con- 

 cluded there must be a bull amongst them. I told 



K to wait under cover as quietly as possible, 



whilst I went forward to reconnoitre ; but I had 

 hardly left the spot, when I heard a double shot, 

 followed by a scream of rage, and, turning back, to 

 my horror I saw my companion running for his life 

 through the jungle, with a tusker closely following 

 him tail on end. The elephant, notwithstanding 

 his apparently unwieldy shape, gets over the ground 

 much faster than one would suppose, and poor 



K would have had no chance if he had not 



been able to dodge him, by running round trees. 

 I could not for the moment get a fair shot at any 

 vulnerable part ; but, seeing that the elephant had 

 got so near that he could almost have reached him 

 with his trunk, I let drive a double shot at his ear, 



and brought him to his knees, which gave K 



time to clamber up into a tree. It was a very near 

 touch, for he was breathless, and another few seconds 



