186 



ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



I have held him at bay and fought with him for nearly 

 two hours." Carey rode back and brought me his 

 single-barreled smooth bore, carrying twelve to the 

 pound, and gave me eight bullets out of his belt, ex- 

 pressing immense regret that my gun was not forth- 

 coming. Carey had always an absurd idea that his 

 gun could not kill an elephant : to-day, however, it was 

 in other hands. "My good fellow," I said, "it is all 

 right ; the elephant is ours." 



I then opened my fire on him from the saddle. 1 

 put my seventh bullet through his heart : on receiving 

 it, he made a short charge, and stood treiiibling for a 

 few seconds, when he fell forward on his breast and so 

 lay ; but evincing a desire to alter his position, which 

 was a very good one for cutting out the teeth, I dis- 

 mounted, and, going close up to him, I put two bulkts 

 into his ear, when he expired. The tusks of this elephant 

 equaled my expectations ; one of them, as usual, was 

 more perfect than its fellow. I had never seen their 

 match but once. On reviewing the whole afternoon's 

 work, I considered myself extremely fortunate in cap- 

 turing this noble pri^e, and felt most gratified with the 

 satisfactory termination of my exertions. Piet and his 

 party heard my shots, and they presently came up to 

 us ; coffee and other good things were soon spread out 

 on a sheep-skin, and a comfortable sofa being quickly 

 constructed of soft grass, covered with a kaross, I lay 

 down to rest, the happiest of the happy. 



The 15th was an extremely hot day. Carey and I 

 were occupied all the morning cutting out the tusks of 

 the big bull elephant; we took particular care not to 

 let the blood fall upon them. In the evening we made 

 hiding-places beside the fountain from which to shoot 

 elephants, and when the sun went down we returned 



