34 



AT NYEMPS 



beginning Count Teleki went off hunting along the brook. He 

 killed another buffalo and a rhinoceros, turning back at noon to 

 make his way home over the group of hills on the south, leaving 

 some of his men behind with the game which could not be 

 carried, whilst the rest, heavily laden with meat, followed him 

 slowly at some distance. Even his gun-bearers Mahommed and 

 Bedue were several hundred paces behind him, none of the 

 party expecting to meet with any big game close to the camp. 

 Suddenly, however, three elephants appeared, advancing 

 towards the Count. They did not yet see him, but the hill was 

 as bare of shelter as a barn floor and he had no weapons. 

 Fortunately Mahommed and Bedue saw the elephants at the 

 same moment and hurried up with the weapons to their 

 master, who remained standing perfectly still. They were only 

 just in time, for the elephants, two female and a young male, 

 were but twenty-five paces off, making straight for the Count. 

 The Count opened a rapid fire with the 577 and 500 Express 

 rifles, and I in camp thought that a number of people were 

 firing at once, probably at a charging buffalo. The first charge 

 broke one foot of each of the two animals in front, and they 

 remained rooted to the spot, swaying their heads to and fro. 

 The third elephant, which had meanwhile approached some five 

 paces nearer, got a bullet from the 500 Express rifle in one of 

 the hind legs, but the charge was not strong enough to break 

 the limb, and the wounded creature limped along till a shot in 

 the temple gave him a quietus. Meanwhile the 577 Express 

 rifle had been reloaded and the two lame elephants were also 

 brought down, but a few seconds having been occupied in the 

 whole affair. The men now came hurrying up, paused in 

 astonishment at the sight of all the huge carcases, and then 

 began to dance for joy round them. The Askar Mahommed 

 Mote, a half-caste Arab, a thoroughly original character who 

 was simply indifferent to every variety of danger, was just 



