144 
CAUTION WHEN STALKING THEM. 
on creeping up I saw another, but when I was about forty 
yards from them they both quietly walked away ; a little 
further on we found them standing in a small open space 
where a third had joined them. 1 crept up to some bushes 
and on looking through saw one of them facing me, another 
nearly broadside on and the third a little way behind them. 
Not being quite certain where to hit the one facing me, I 
took the one which was broadside on, aiming at the hollow 
over the eye, or rather between the eye and the ear ; at the 
shot down she went, to my intense satisfaction. The others 
stood for an instant and then dashed away crashing through 
the jungle ; had 1 been an experienced hand I might have 
had a crack at one of them before they bolted, but fearing 
that the fallen one might get up again, I reserved my shot. 
The two native shikaries had bolted at the very first crash. 
The fallen elephant, however, remained quite still, but seeing 
its eyes moving I went close up and put a bullet tji rough 
the back of its head and afterwards a third into the hollow 
above the base of the trunk, but the first shot had killed her. 
A fine female ; we cut off her tail and went our way highly 
delighted. 
In shooting wild elephants care should always be taken 
that there is a tree handy to get behind in case you fail to 
kill and the animal charges, and every one who goes in for 
this sport ought to know the precise position of the brain and 
where to place the bullet. The diagram on the opposite 
page, made upon the rules drawn up by Michael, gives 
the various positions. 
On the 6th of September, 1S55. when on the Anna- 
mull ies I killed my first tusker, I had breakfasted very 
early, and took iny whole battery with me all loaded for 
