MV FIRST TUSKER, 
!47 
still over thirty paces from me. I wanted to get nearer but 
they told me to fire, so I aimed to hit him between the eye 
and ear. At the shot down he went, but my exultation was 
short-lived, for he kicked up a tremendous dust, evidently 
trying to get on his legs again, and before I could get down 
my side of the ravine he was going up the other as if nothing 
had happened. I fired at him again, with a projectile, aiming 
behind the ear ; it stopped and staggered him, but he held on, 
going very slowly. We managed by running quickly to get 
in front of him ; and as we came to a bit of open forest 
posted ourselves behind a large tree. We heard him below 
us crashing through a thick clump of bamboo ; presently he 
appeared right in front of us going up the hill, head low, 
and looking very groggy, 1 advanced a pace or two from 
the tree, knelt down so as to get low enough for the shot 
between the eyes, took a steady aim and sent a projectile 
into his brain ; he fell dead on his side without a struggle. 
Vyapooree, the head karder, made me fire a couple more 
shots to make sure, which I did, although I felt certain he 
was quite dead. The karders were highly delighted. I 
measured him round the forefoot and from the foot to the 
shoulder ; twice the circumference of the former exactly 
corresponded with the latter, viz., nine feet eight inches ; 
his tusk at the thickest part was sixteen and a half inches 
in circumference— one four feet nine and the other four 
feet eight in length. It was just five o'clock when 1 killed 
him, and we were a long way from home. We lost the 
path in the dark, and had to grope our way through the 
jungle to the river, and it was no easy work crossing ; I was 
once or twice nearly down amongst the rocks and stones; 
but the kaders brought me home safely. 
