THE COUNT TURNS SURGEON 



275 



dark. Count Teleki was just having a batli in his tent when I 

 got in, and having heard the shot, called out to me, 'Well, how 

 went the hunting ?' And as my wo and was not very painful, 

 and things might have been much worse, I was able to reply 

 cheerfully enough with a laugh — ' Pretty well — the elephant 

 bleeds and so do I ! ' Stained with blood as I was I looked in 

 anything but a laughing condition, and as soon as he saw me 

 the Count hastened to get out all his surgical implements, 

 carbolic and sublimate liniments, and piles of bandages, with 

 which by the light of a lantern he proceeded to treat his 

 damaged friend. He did not let me go till my face was done 

 up in a regular mask as stiff as plaster of Paris. The wound 

 was not painful, but it was a good six weeks before it healed. 

 Only one small scar and a certain numbness of the tip of the 

 nose still remind me of my first elephant hunt. 



Count Teleki had failed to find the elephants on account of 

 the stone-encumbered ground, but when seeking them he came 

 across a lion. Following the course of the stream by which 

 we were camped, he heard the roaring of a lion in the bush. 

 Soon after, one appeared at a distance of 150 paces. He did 

 not seem to have noticed the hunter before, but now he started 

 and offered a good chance of a shot at the shoulder. Count 

 Teleki fired with the 500 Express, and the lion staggered, but 

 was able to get away into the bush. He bled freely, and the 

 Count could hear him roaring but he could not see him. He 

 followed him to within about 80 or 100 paces and then had to 

 give up the chase as the sun was setting. 



During the night several lions prowled about the camp, 

 and towards morning we could distinctly make out three at 

 once. 



The next morning Count Teleki went off" after the wounded 

 elephant. The blood spoor was very distinct for some thousand 

 paces, and here and there were pools of gore. The Count was 



T 2 



