12 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



hold stoutly on, leaving the grass and branches of the 

 forest scarlet in his wake. 



On one occasion he endeavored to escape by charg- 

 ing desperately amid the thickest of the flames ; but 

 this did not avail, and I was soon once more alongside. 

 I blazed away at this elephant until I began to think 

 that he was proof against my weapons. Having fired 

 thirty-five rounds with my two-grooved rifle, I opened 

 fire upon him with the Dutch six-pounder; and when 

 forty bullets had perforated his hide, he began for the 

 first time to evince signs of a dilapidated constitution. 

 He took up a position in a grove ; and as the dogs kept 

 barking round him, he backed stern foremost among 

 the trees, which yielded before his gigantic strength. 

 Poor old fellow ! he had long braved my deadly shafts, 

 but I plainly saw that it was now all over with him ; 

 80 I resolved to expend no further ammunition, but hold 

 him in view until he died. Throughout the chase this 

 elephant repeatedly cooled his person with large quan- 

 tities of water, which he ejected from his trunk over 

 his back and sides ; and just as the pangs of death came 

 over him, he stood trembling violently beside a thorny 

 tree, and kept pouring water into his bloody mouth 

 until he died, when he pitched heavily forward, with 

 the whole weight of his fore quarters resting on the 

 points of his tusks. 



A most singular occurrence now took place. He lay 

 in this posture for several seconds; but the amazing 

 pressure of the carcass was more than the head was 

 able to support. He had fallen with his head so short 

 under him that the tusks received little assistance from 

 his legs. Something must give way. The strain on 

 the mighty tusks was fair; they did not, therefore, 

 ^ield; but the portion of his head in which the tusk 



