THE TRUSTY TWO-GROOVED RIFLE BURSTS. 19 



In the afternoon I was engaged for many hours com- 

 bating with' a vicious elephant, which I finished with 

 thirty-five bullets in the shoulder, in an impracticable 

 jungle of wait-a-bit thorns. The conflict was greatly 

 prolonged by "The Immense Brute," which capered 

 continually, and constantly destroyed the correctness" 

 of my aim. While I was fighting with this elephant, 

 my dogs were combating with a younger bull, which 

 they hunted backward and forward in the same thicket 

 with myself This elephant took up a position beside 

 the one which had fallen, and the dogs continued bark- 

 ing around him. My rifle being now extremely dirty, 

 I experienced considerable difficulty in ramming home 

 the balls, notwithstanding the power of my rhinoceros- 

 horn loading-rod. This being accomplished, I ran cau- 

 tiously within twenty yards of this second elephant, 

 and, resting my rifle on a branch, aimed for his heart 

 and pressed the trigger. Alas ! it was for the last time. 

 The barrel burst with a terrific explosion, sending the 

 .ocks and half the stock flying right and left, and very 

 nearly sending me to " the land of the leal." I, how- 

 ever, received no further damage than a slight burn on 

 my left arm, and the loss for many days of the use of 

 my left ear, a fragment of the barrel having whizzed 

 close past it. At first I was so stunned that I knew 

 not if I were wounded or not, and on recovering from 

 the shock my person underwent a strict scrutiny. Be- 

 fore I discovered these elephants I was faint from thirst, 

 and quite done up with the power of the sun, owing to 

 which I considered that I did not attack the elephant 

 so bravely as I might otherwise have done. 



The loss of my trusty two-grooved rifle, in such a re- 

 mote corner of the world, was irreparable, and cut me 

 to the heart. It was my main stay ; and as I thought 



