THE CONQUEST. 301 



and left behind his shoulder. Again he charged with 

 a terrific trumpet, which sent '* Sunday" flying through 

 the forest. This was his last charge. 1m wounds 

 which hehad received began to tell on his constitution, 

 and he now stood at bay beside a thorny tree, with the 

 dogs barking around him. These, refreshed by tjie 

 evening breeze, and perceiving that it was nearly over 

 with the elephant, had once more come to my assist- 

 ance. Having loaded, I drew near and fired right and 

 left at his forehead. On receiving these shots, instead 

 of charging, he tossed his trunk up and down, and by 

 various sounds and motions, most gratifying to the hun- 

 gry natives, evinced that his demise was near, Again 

 I loaded, and fired my last shot behind his shoulder ; 

 on receiving it, he turned round the bushy tree beside 

 which he stood, and I ran round to give him the other 

 barrel, but the mighty old monarch of the forest needed 

 no more ; befojre I could clear the bushy tree he fell 

 heavily on his side, and his spirit had fled. My feel- 

 ings at this moment can only be understood by a few 

 brother Nimrods who have had the good fortune to en- 

 joy a similar encounter, I never felt so gratified on 

 any former occasion as I did then. 



By this time all the natives had come up ; they were 

 in the highest spirits, and flocked around the elephant, 

 laughing and talking at a rapid pace. I climbed on to 

 him, and sat enthroned upon his side, which was as high 

 as my eyes when sta-nding on the ground. In a few 

 jninutes night set in, when the natives, having illu- 

 minated the jungle with a score of fires, and formed a 

 semicircle of bushes to windward, lay down to rest 

 without partiaking of a morspl of food. Mutchuisho 

 would not allow a man to put an assagai into the ele- 

 phant until the morrow, and placed two relays of sen- 



