CH. xv.] ELEPHANT KILLED. 253 



mouth, shook it carefully to free the roots from earth. This gave 

 K g the opportunity, stealthily and creeping low, to get unde- 

 tected about twenty paces in rear of him. There he knelt and 

 anxiously awaited the turn of the head that should expose some 

 spot not completely protecting the brain. 



455. Long did he watch, for the elephant, when not engaged in 

 feeding, stood motionless, save an occasional whisk of his cord- 

 like tail, or the flopping of his huge ears. At times, however, he 

 would slightly bend his head when with his proboscis scattering 

 sand over his body, in order to drive off some troublesome insect ; 

 at which moment the hopeful sportsman would noiselessly cock his 

 piece, but only to again half cock it in disappointment. 



456. Messrs. B. and G. became impatient. They fancied the 

 elephant must have stolen away ; and a peacock happening to fly 

 over their heads, they fired at it. On hearing the noise, the elephant 



wheeled, and perceived K g. He curled his trunk under his 



neck, lowered his head, and charged. The most vulnerable spot 



was thus presented. K g's barrel was deliberately poised, a 



cool aim taken, and the trigger pulled ; but it yielded not ! 



K g felt, he told me, " a choking sensation " certain death was 



before him ; but instantly remembering that he had replaced the 

 piece on half-cock, he brought it from his shoulder full-cocked it 

 raised it again to level and with unshaken nerve, and unerring 

 precision, a second time covered the vulnerable spot. Down with a 

 tremendous crash dropped the ponderous brute, first on his knees, 

 then on his chest ; and with such speed was he charging that he 

 almost made a complete somerset in the act of falling stone dead 

 near the feet of his comparatively puny conqueror vanquished by 

 skill and cool intrepidity. 



457. The party on descending found K g endeavouring to 



climb up the enormous carcass. They feared the animal might be 



only stunned, but K g satisfied them by probing to its brain 



with his ramrod in the direction the bullet had taken. 



458. Colonel W. (the Q. Master General), who was of the party, 

 made a spirited sketch of the scene. I have more than once ad- 

 mired it. It is admirably done in red chalk. K g is seen 



standing upon the prostrate elephant, and a number of the natives 

 are represented in their picturesque costumes, making grateful 

 salaams to the u brave sahib " who had slain their formidable 

 enemy. Underneath the sketch is written " The Mighty King." 



459. My friend's nerves were so little affected by his narrow 

 escape that he killed two more elephants the same evening, and 

 wounded another. It was a long shot across the river. The animal 



was feeding. K g waited to aim until he could bring its temple 



so low as to align with the elbow, when the head would be in a 

 favourable position for a well-directed ball to penetrate to the 

 brain. But the two oz. bullet missed the temple ; it, however, 

 struck the elbow and fractured the bone. Darkness was gradually 

 coining on, the river was full of alligators, there was no bridge, 

 and K g was unwillingly compelled to defer despatching the 



