THE INDIAN ELEPHANT 29 



the same place, or even a little lower, will almost 

 invariably turn him, and give you time, possibly, 

 for a shot in the ear as he makes off. A charging 

 elephant coils his trunk in his mouth and so 

 gives a fair chance. I have read of elephants 

 charging with trunk thrown up, but am glad to 

 say have never met with such an inconsiderate 

 brute, and do not believe that one elephant in 

 a hundred would be likely to carry his trunk 

 in this position while actually charging. It is 

 dead against the animal's normal habit and 

 instinct. In such a case I should be inclined to 

 shoot straight at the elephant's eye and hope 

 for the best. If unsuccessful, the shot would, 

 at all events, have the effect of bringing down 

 the unruly member to its natural position, and 

 a second bullet aimed at the base of the trunk 

 would probably induce a more reasonable frame 

 of mind. It is indeed fortunate for some of us 

 that a charging elephant is not so tenaciously 

 vindictive as a wounded buffalo, who, when 

 charging, refuses to be stopped except by death 

 alone. If this were so one would have little 

 chance against an elephant charging from a few 

 paces' distance. Escapes, indeed, from a wounded 

 buffalo are only made possible by the fact that 

 under ordinary circumstances the beast charges 

 from some way off, fifty paces or more, giving 

 the hunter time to get in a couple of cool shots, 

 and so rake the animal from stem to stern. 

 When a buffalo lies ' dogo,' and comes out 



