146 
MAMMALIA. 
[Chap. IV. 
Contrasted with this, one reads with a shudder the 
sickening details of the African huntsman approaching 
behind the retiring animal, and of the torture inflicted 
by the shower of bullets which tear up its flesh and 
lacerate its flank and shoulders. 1 
8 fronter,' that is, above the trunk. 
Behind the ear is said to he deadly, 
hut that is a shot which I never 
fired or saw fired that I remember. 
If the ball go true to its mark, all 
shots (in the head) are certain ; 
but the bones on either side of the 
honey-comb passage to the brain 
are so thick that there is in all a 
'glorious uncertainty ' which keeps 
a man on the qui vive till he sees 
the elephant do wn." — From a paper 
on Elephant Shooting in Ceylon, by 
Major Macready, late Military 
Secretary at Colombo. 
1 In Mr. Gordon Cumming's ac- 
count of a Hunter's Life in South 
Africa, there is a narrative of his 
pursuit of a wounded elephant 
which he had lamed by lodging a 
ball in its shoulder-blade. It limped 
slowly towards a tree, against 
which it leaned itself in helpless 
agony, whilst its pursuer seated 
himself in front of it, in safety, to 
boil his coffee, and observe its suffer- 
ings. The story is continued as 
follows: — "Having admired him 
for a considerable time, I resolved 
to make experiments on vulnerable 
points ; and approaching very near 
I fired several bullets at different 
parts of his enormous skull. He 
only acknowledged the shots by a 
salaam-like movement of his trunk, 
with the point of which he gently 
touched the wounds with a strik- 
ing and peculiar action. Surprised 
and shocked at finding that I was 
only prolonging the sufferings of the 
noble beast, which bore its trials 
with such dignified composure, I 
resolved to finish the proceeding 
with all possible despatch, and ac- 
cordingly opened fire upon him 
from the left side, aiming at the 
shoulder. I first fired six shots 
with the two-grooved rifle, which 
must have eventually proved mortal. 
After which I fired six shots at the 
same part with the Dutch six- 
pounder. Large tears now trickled 
from his eyes, which he slowly shut 
and opened, his colossal frame 
shivered convulsively, and falling 
on his side, he expired" (Vol. ii. 
p. 10.) 
In another place, after detailing 
the manner in which he assailed a 
poor animal — he says, "I was 
loading and firing as fast as could 
be, sometimes at the head, some- 
times behind the shoulder, until 
my elephant's fore-quarter was a 
mass of gore ; notwithstanding 
which he continued to hold on, 
leaving the grass and branches of 
the forest scarlet in his wake. * 
* * Having fired thirty-five rounds 
with my two-grooved rifle, I opened 
upon him with the Dutch six- 
pounder, and when forty bullets 
had perforated his hide, he began 
for the first time, to evince signs of 
a dilapidated constitution." The 
disgusting description is closed 
thus : " Throughout the charge he 
repeatedly cooled his person with 
large quantities of water, which he 
ejected from his trunk over his 
sides and back, and just as the 
pangs of death came over him, he 
stood trembling violently beside a 
thorn tree, and kept pouring water 
