AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



95 



displayed in their efforts to escape the murderous and un- 

 ceasing fire to which they were exposed. The one-pound 

 gun occasionally furrowed the thick hide of some, while 

 others were perpetually assailed hy a shower of pewter 

 musket-balls. One, a cub, was nearly caught uninjured in 

 attempting to follow its mother, who, galled to desperation, 

 was endeavouring to escape through the land party; but, 

 as soon as the affectionate brute perceived her off-spring 

 falling into the hands of her enemies, forgetting her fears, 

 she rushed furiously at the offenders, when they in their 

 turn were obliged to retreat; but again they contrived to 

 separate them, and had almost secured the prize, when the 

 angry mother, regardless of their close and almost fatal fire, 

 succeeded in redeeming it from their grasp and bearing it 

 off, although herself in a state of great exhaustion. With 

 the flood this sport ended. 



On their return to the schooner along the banks of 

 the river, passing near a spot where an hippopotamus 

 had been seen sporting in the water, a loud rustling was 

 heard amongst the reeds, as if the animal had retreated 

 thither on the discharge of their pieces. Messrs. Arlett 

 and Barrette, with two of the seamen, immediately follow- 

 ed with the view of driving him out. The former gentle- 

 man was a little in advance, and eager in the pursuit, when 

 he was heard loudly to exclaim, "Hereheis!" Theshrill, 

 angry scream of some large animal instantly followed, and 

 in a few seconds Mr. Barrette rushed from the reeds with 

 his face covered with blood and calling loudly for assist- 

 ance, as Lieutenant Arlett was attacked and thrown down 

 by an elephant. The party were immediately on the alert 

 in search of the unfortunate officer, whom they expected 

 to find a mangled corpse. As they approached, the ele- 

 phant, alarmed at their numbers, retreated, leaving his vic- 

 tim on the ground in a state that may more easily be ima- 

 gined than described. He was stretched motionless on 



o 



his back, covered with blood and dirt, and his eyes start- 

 ing from their sockets, in all the expressive horror of a 

 violent death. 



Every attention was immediately paid to him, but it 

 was long feared that the vital spark had fled. Some water 

 was procured, when, after his face had been washed and 

 a little introduced into his mouth, he showed symptoms of 

 returning life; but it was some time before he recovered 

 his senses, and became sufficiently collected to give a con- 

 nected account of the occurrence that had led to his pitia- 

 ble state. It appeared that, from the thickness of the reeds, 

 he was close to the animal before he was at all aware of 

 his situation, but immediately on making the discovery, 

 he uttered the exclamation heard by his companions of 

 "Here he is!" This had hardly escaped, when he dis- 

 covered that, instead of an hippopotamus, he was almost 



stumbling over an enormous elephant. The animal, which 

 appeared highly irritated at the intrusion, waved its trunk 

 in the air, and the moment he spoke, reared upon its hind 

 legs, turned short round, and, with a shrill, passionate cry, 

 rushed after him, bearing down the opposing reeds in his 

 way, while Lieutenant Arlett vainly attempted to effect 

 his escape. For a short time he had hopes of eluding his 

 pursuer, as the animal perceived one of the seamen mount- 

 ed on the top of a tree, about twenty feet high and three 

 in circumference, menacing him by his voice and gestures, 

 while preparing to fire. The elephant turned short round, 

 and, shrieking with rage, made a kind of spring against 

 the tree, as if to reach the object of his attack, when his 

 ponderous weight bore the whole to the ground, but for- 

 tunately without hurting the man, who slipped among the 

 reeds. The ferocious animal still followed him, foaming 

 with rage, to the rising bank of the river; the man cry- 

 ing loudly, "An Elephant! an elephant!" until closely 

 pressed by his pursuer, they both came upon the top of the 

 slope, where the party who had heard his cries were pre- 

 pared, and instantly fired a volley as the elephant appear- 

 ed. This made him return with increased fury to Mr. 

 Arlett, who, in his eagerness to escape, stumbled and fell, 

 the huge beast running over him and severely bruising his 

 ankle. 



As soon as he had passed, Mr. Arlett arose, and, limping 

 with pain, attempted once more to retreat, but the animal 

 returned to the attack; his trunk was flourished in the air, 

 and the next moment the unfortunate officer was struck 

 senseless to the ground. On recovering himself his situa- 

 tion appeared hopeless, his huge antagonist standing over 

 him, chaffing and screaming with rage, pounding the earth 

 with his feet, and ploughing it with his tusks. When the 

 party first saw them, Mr. Arlett was lying between the 

 elephant's legs, and had it been the intention of the animal 

 to destroy him, placing a foot upon his senseless body would 

 in a moment have crushed him to atoms; but it is proba- 

 ble that his object was only to punish and alarm, not to kill 

 — such conjecture being perfectly in accordance with the 

 character of this noble but revengeful beast. 



Mr. Arlett was with much care instantly conveyed on 

 board the schooner, when, on examination, it was found 

 that his body was severely bruised, yet no bones were bro- 

 ken, excepting the fibula of the left leg, which was sup- 

 posed to be slightly fractured. It appeared that the ele- 

 phant, on his last return to Mr. Arlett, had filled his trunk 

 with mud, which, having turned him on his back, and 

 forced open his mouth, he blew down his throat, injecting 

 a large quantity into the stomach. It was this that pro- 

 duced the inflated appearance of Mr. Arlett's countenance, 

 for he was almost in a state of suffocation, and for three 



