2i6 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



position for a shot at another a Httle farther off, which appeared 

 the biggest, standing diagonally, head away, rather more than 

 three-parts turned from me. She was standing under a kind of 

 euphorbia or cactus tree and had a piece of a branch she had 

 broken from it in her mouth, off which she was chewing the 

 bark, the bare white end protruding on one side. The thick 

 milky juice of this tree is excessively pungent, the least spurt 

 of it in the eyes causing intense irritation. I should imagine 

 the effect of swallowing any on the human stomach would be 

 very serious ; but an elephant's mucous membrane must be less 

 sensitive. 



I waited a little ; but as they did not seem inclined to 

 move at all, and fearing the two cows next me (which were 

 very close) might get my wind if I delayed longer, I took a 

 steady shot at the ribs of the big cow, calculating my aim so 

 that the bullet, driving forward, would get her heart, and fired. 

 She gave a tremendous grunting cry as she received the ball. 

 As they began to stampede I got a snap at one of the others 

 with the second barrel. Immediately after, the first appeared 

 again for a second standing close by, after the rest had passed, 

 and, with a scream, fell over. Looking round in hopes of 

 discovering the second, I saw a rhinoceros standing close by, 

 which, as it afterwards appeared, some of my men, who had 

 been just behind and now came up, thought was a fallen 

 elephant. 



Not wishing to waste more time, I followed up the spoor 

 of the rest, and very soon came to where they had stood again. 

 Possibly, if I had come on immediately after the collapse of 

 the first, I might have got another chance here. Going on, we 

 heard them rumbling, and soon sighted two, standing in a 

 comparatively open space (as bush goes here). To be able to 

 see elephants at all means that you are already pretty near, 

 and a few quick, but stealthy, steps brought me quite close up 

 to these. But, before I could get a chance to shoot, one came 

 walking straight for me ; and as I could not well get out of 



