158 ON SAFAEI 



stiinsails. For six or eiglit pregnant seconds tliey stood 

 still, looking around them with majestic deliberation, and 

 then . . . slowly turned away. 



They had not seen us, simply because we were so 

 near. As a matter of fact, the elephants, all this time, 

 had been looking far beyond us — over our heads. 



By inspiration, during that crucial interval, we all 

 lay motionless. Then, so soon as the elephants wheeled 

 to retire, 1 placed my tw^o barrels (■450, solid) into the big 

 tusker at twenty-five yards, aiming rather low behind the 

 shoulder. He staggered and stopped, receiving a third 

 ball a trifle higher up, wdien he moved slowly towards 

 the marsh. Seeing that he had enough, I placed two 

 more balls in the ribs of the next biggest bull, then 

 moving three-quarters off, when the two retired by 

 themselves to the left, presently entering the reeds 

 alone, beyond the main herd. 



My brother meanwhile had devoted all attention to 

 the other big bull, the second best in the company, 

 w^hich had passed on his side of the bush, following the 

 lead of two cows. This grand elephant I now saw sink 

 stern-first among the green flags, remaining upright, 

 dead. 



The main mass of elephants were now retiring most 

 deliberately through the bog, on the same track by 

 which they had advanced ; but my two stricken bulls, 

 straggling to the left, lagged in the rear of the herd. 

 We followed on through the flags in pursuit, when a 

 badly-hit cow elephant, bleeding at mouth and trunk, 

 turned out on our right, blocking our advance. She 



stood, full broadside, in front of W , wdio dropped 



her with a single shot in the temple. Kunning past 

 her, I presently overtook my big bull standing still, 

 stern on, in the marsh. On finding himself pursued, he 

 turned on us with cocked ears and upraised trunk ; but 

 in that treacherous bog he was slow in coming round, 

 giving time for a careful aim at about seventy yards. 

 The ball struck close behind the orifice of the ear, and 

 the champion of the troop w^as mine. His very death 



