ELEPHANT HUNTING. 553 
the bursting of the big rifle, did not catch this sound, but 
swore that the elephant which now so stealthily approached 
the water was the one at which we had fired. 
It was interesting to observe this grand old bull approach 
the fountain: he seemed to mistrust the very earth on which 
he stood, and smelt and examined with his trunk every yard 
of the ground before he trod on it, and sometimes stood five 
minutes on one spot without moving. At length, having 
gone round three sides of the fountain, and being apparently 
satisfied as to the correctness of everything, he stepped 
boldly forward on to the rock on the west, and, walking ut 
within six or seven yards of the muzzles of our rifles, turned 
his broadside, and, lowering his trunk into the water, drew 
up a volume of water, which he threw over his back and 
shoulders to cool his person. This operation he repeated 
two or three times, after which he commenced drinking, by. 
drawing the water into his trunk and then pouring it into 
his mouth. I determined to break his leg if possible; so, 
covering the limb about level with the lower line of his body, 
I fired, Carey firing for his heart. I made a lucky shot; 
and as the elephant turned and attempted to make away, 
his leg broke with a loud crack, and he stood upon his three 
sound ones. At once disabled and utterly incapable of 
escaping, he stood statue-like beside the fountain, within a 
few yards of where he had got the shot, and only occasion- 
ally made an attempt at locomotion. 
The patch of my rifle fired at this elephant’s comrade had 
ignited a large ball of dry old dung, about eight yards to 
leeward of our kraal, and, fanned by the breeze, it was 
now burning away very brightly, the sparks flying in the 
wind. Presently, on looking about me, I beheld two bull 
elephants approaching by the self-same foot-path which the 
others had held. The first of these was a half-grown bull, 
the last was an out-and-out old fellow with enormous tusks. 
They came on as the first had done, but seemed inclined 
