The Kheddah 135 



Till at last he felt that he could do no more 

 and stood leaning against the trunk of a huge 

 tree on the banks of a rivulet which flowed 

 gently through the forest. He had stood thus 

 for hours, till around him was gathered a dark 

 pool of blood, when suddenly his sensitive 

 trunk brought him news of the presence of man. 

 And now at last his heart was filled with fury. 

 He waited till from his post of vantage he could 

 locate his pursuers with accuracy, then with a 

 scream of fury he charged down upon them. 

 In those wild moments he hardly knew what 

 happened. In his headlong rush he caught and 

 trampled on at least one of his enemies. There 

 were shots fired, and somehow he found himself 

 dizzy and feeble, trying to support himself by the 

 aid of his massive trunk. But without avail ; 

 he tottered and fell with a crash, while those of 

 his pursuers who were still alive were bemoaning 

 the fate of their comrade and their own injuries, 

 and at the same time congratulating themselves 

 on having escaped with their lives from the on- 

 slaught of a beast which had become dangerous 

 only when hunted to its death. 



