ELEPHANT SHOOTING. 197 



leg had gone nearly a mile from the fountain when we 

 came up to him. At first he made vain attempts to 

 escape, and then to charge; but finding he could nei- 

 ther escape nor catch any of us, he stood at bay beside 

 a tree, and my after-riders began to assail him. It was 

 curious to watch his movements as the boys, at about 

 twenty yards' distance, pelted him with sticks, &c. 

 Each thing, as it was thrown, he took up and hurled 

 back at them. When, however, dry balls of elephants' 

 dung were pitched at him, he contented himself with 

 smelling at them with his trunk. At length, wishing 

 to put an end to his existence, I gave him four shots 

 behind the shoulder, when he at once exhibited signs 

 of distress ; water ran from his eyes, and he could 

 barely keep them open ; presently his gigantic form 

 quivered, and, falling over, he expired. At night we 

 again watched the fountain. Only one elephant ap- 

 peared ; late in the night he came up to leewardj' and 

 got our wind. I, however, shot two fine old rnuchooho, 

 or white rhinoceroses, and wounded two or three borele, 

 which were found by the natives. 



On the 19th I proceeded with Carey and Piet, and 

 a few Bakalahari, to a small fountain lying one mUe 

 to the south : here we made two shooting-boxes of 

 boughs of trees. There were three pools at which the 

 game drank, the largest not being more than twelve 

 feet in breadth. I and Carey at night shot one fine 

 bull elephant and four rhinoceroses, wounding two 

 others, which escaped. On the night following we also 

 wounded two elephants, which got away. 



The next night I put in practice a novel experiment 

 I had long entertained — that of hunting elephants by 

 moonlight with dogs and horses, as irr the day, being 

 very much annoyed at wounding and losing in the lasf 



