164 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



and I followed again with my three boys at my heels, 

 all in a state of suppressed excitement. Then the 

 guide stopped, and with his spear pointed to what 

 looked to me like a great granite rock about forty 

 yards away. Then, without a word, he fell back to 

 the rear, and I became * boss ' of the situation. I 

 crept a little closer to get a better view, and then I 

 saw about six great trunks go up to sniff the air ; 

 but none of the herd attempted to run away, for they 

 had not seen us. And now the supreme moment had 

 arrived. There before us, not thirty yards distant, 

 stood an enormous bull elephant. I raised my rifle ; 

 a fly popped into my eye and obscured my vision ; 

 I cleared it out, then again raised my rifle. Yes, my 

 hand was steady, but my eye was full of tears result- 

 ing from the fly. I pulled the trigger ; there was 

 a squeal and a shaking of the earth, and I saw the 

 great bull racing round and round with trunk in the 

 air and mighty ears flapping at his sides. He was 

 looking for us. Could I have missed my aim? I lay 

 flat down in the grass, and my boys did the same. 

 My rifle was at full cock, ready for the next shot. It 

 was a rifle with a magazine for five cartridges. At 

 last he moved away, following the rest of the herd, 

 which had run off when I fired ; and very cautiously 

 we followed in his track, which was now a good one, 

 comparatively speaking that is, it was about four feet 

 wide, and the grass was all beaten down but the 

 jungle was like a mighty wall on either side of us. 

 We followed the herd for about half an hour, when 

 suddenly, as we turned round a corner, I saw the bull 

 standing facing me, not twenty yards in front. For a 

 moment I was taken by surprise, then I saw he had 



