X EXCURSIONS FROM EL BO GO I 217 



the way, owing to the thick and thorny scrub, I fired in her 

 face when only a few paces off, not knowing what else to do 

 and not caring to wait to test her intentions by allowing her 

 to reach me — though I do not believe they were evil, but 

 rather suppose she did not know I was there at all. I 

 afterwards, in thinking over the situation (one which has 

 occurred to me more than once before j, came to the conclusion 

 that I ought to have shouted at her, to make her halt or turn 

 her broadside. I did not want to shoot at her as she came 

 on ; for not only was it well-nigh impossible to give her a 

 fatal shot in that position, but behind her was one with larger 

 tusks. Her chest was covered by the undergrowth as well as 

 by her trunk, which was down, and to reach her brain through 

 the thick part of the latter and the whole length of her head, 

 as I looked up at her, was barely possible even if the aim 

 happened to be right — at all events with the lO-bore I had in 

 my hands, though no doubt a .303 has sufficient penetration. 

 Jumping aside into the thorns the instant I had pulled the 

 trigger, and before the voluminous smoke from the big charge 

 of black powder allowed me to see what she was doing, I was 

 too late to give her a second shot as she turned off, as I might 

 have been able to do had I stood firm. But, in the momentar\' 

 glance I got at her the second after I fired, I distinctly saw 

 the bullet-wound in the centre of the thick part of her trunk 

 and the blood coming from it. 



Following again, we soon came upon the two once more, 

 but this time in a very thick place. I could only see one ; she 

 was standing awkwardly, nearly facing me, and in the shadow 

 of the bush, and before I could get a better view they moved 

 on. Probably the old cow which I had killed had been their 

 leader, and her loss was the cause of their delaying so much ; 

 for the wounded one was not badly enough hurt to prevent 

 their going right away, and they were of course thoroughly 

 alarmed. We found blood, though only a little, on the spoor ; 

 but we never sighted them again, though we persevered and 



