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surkoundb:d bv a wild herd. 
covers itself with mud and sand to keep off the mosquiios 
and ^lies of all kinds, so I crept up very cautiously and soon 
spied two very dirty-looking elephants standing under a tree. 
I got up to about seventeen yards of them, and taking 
aim at the brain of the nearest one» was actually pressing 
the trigger of my riHe, when I heard the clink of a chain 
just in time to save its life. I firmly believe that these two 
elephants had covered themselves with mud and sand so 
as not to be recognised and attacked by the wild herd 
around them. 
There were about sixteen of the wild ones, all females 
with young ones, which accounted for their being so trouble- 
some. 1 had great difficulty in getting up to them, and 
in my first attempt failed to kill one ; I had to run some 
distance to intercept them as they were now thoroughly 
alarmed, and rushing through the grass which in some places 
was so high that I could only see the tops of their backs ; 
suddenly an old female either saw or smelt me, and came 
charging through the grass right at me ; to run would have 
been dangerous, as there were no trees to get behind, so 
I waited till I could see her eyes ; on she came, and when 
she was not more than eight yards from me 1 let drive and 
planted a ball exactly between her eyes ; but to my horror she 
did not fall ; there was a stream behind me, and the hop step 
and a jump I made over that stream would, I think, have 
won me a prize at any of the athletic games of modern times. 
Nothing like an enraged elephant at ones back to make a 
long jump. As I jumped I looked over my shoulder, thinking 
the beast was upon me, and I saw that she had fallen dead, 
t immediately recrossed the stream, and with my other barrel 
knocked over another which was trying to pass its fallen 
