AFRICA. 225 
again ; but we were clofe at its heels, and ftill 
made it rife by the fhots which we difcharged at 
it. On the fourteenth fhot, it turned with great 
fury upon the Hottentot who had fired ; whilft 
another difcharged a fifteenth, which only 
ferved to increafe its rage ; and, as it advanced 
rapidly towards us, he called out to us to be 
upon our guard. I was only twenty-five paces 
diftant from it ; loaded with my fufee, which 
weighed thirty pounds, befides ammunition : 
and I was more difadvantageoufly fituated than 
my people ; who, not having gone fo far, 
could more eafily efcape the avenging trunk, 
and extricate themfelves from danger. I there- 
fore betook myfelf to my heels : but the ele- 
phant, at every ftep, gained upon me ; fo that, 
more dead than alive, for only one at that mo- 
ment ran up to defend me, I found no refource 
but to lie down clofe to the trunk of an old tree, 
which was extended on the ground. Scarcely 
had I reached my lurking place, when the 
animal arrived, leaped over the trunk, and, 
being much frightened with the noife of my 
people, whom he heard before him, he flopped 
fhort to liften. From the place where I lay 
I could have eafily fired, as my fufee very 
luckily was loaded ; but the animal had al« 
Vol, 1, ' Q ready 
