AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
95 
displayed in their efforts to escape the murderous and un- 
ceasing fire to which they were exposed. The one-pound 
gun occasionally furrowed the thick hide of some, while 
others were perpetually assailed by a shower of pewter 
musket-balls. One, a cub, was nearly caught uninjured in 
attempting to follow its mother, who, galled to desperation, 
was endeavouring to escape through the land-party; but, 
as soon as the affectionate brute perceived her off-spring 
falling into the hands of her enemies, forgetting her fears, 
she rushed furiously at the offenders, when they in their 
turn were obliged to retreat; but again they contrived to 
separate them, and had almost secured the prize, when the 
angry mother, regardless of their close and almost fatal fire, 
succeeded in redeeming it from their grasp and bearing it 
off, although herself in a state of great exhaustion. With 
the flood this sport ended. 
On their return to the schooner along the banks of 
the river, passing near a spot where an hippopotamus 
had been seen sporting in the water, a loud rustling was 
heard amongst the reeds, as if the animal had retreated 
thither on the discharge of their pieces. Messrs. Arlett 
and Barrette, with two of the seamen, immediately follow- 
ed with the view of driving him out. The former gentle- 
man was a little in advance, and eager in the pursuit, when 
he was heard loudly to exclaim, “Here he is!” The shrill, 
angry scream of some large animal instantly followed, and 
in a few seconds Mr. Barrette rushed £rom the reeds with 
his face covered with blood and calling loudly for assist- 
ance, as Lieutenant Arlett was attacked and thrown down 
by an elephant.. The party were immediately on the alert 
in search of the unfortunate officer, whom they expected 
to find a mangled corpse. As they approached, the ele- 
phant, alarmed at their numbers, retreated, leaving his vic- 
tim on the ground in a state that may more easily be ima- 
gined than described. He was stretched motionless on 
his back, covered with blood and dirt, and his eyes start- 
ing from their sockets, in all the expressive horror of a 
violent death. 
Every attention was immediately paid to him, but it 
was long feared that the vital spark had fled. Some water 
was procured, when, after his face had been washed and 
a little introduced into his mouth, he showed symptoms of 
returning life; but it was some time before he recovered 
his senses, and became sufficiently collected to give a con- 
nected account of the occurrence that had led to his pitia- 
ble state. It appeared that, from the thickness of the reeds, 
he was close to the animal before he was at all aware of 
his situation, but immediately on making the discovery, 
he uttered the exclamation heard by his companions of 
“Here he is!” This had hardly escaped, when he dis- 
covered that, instead of an hippopotamus, he was almost 
stumbling over an enormous elephant. The animal, which 
appeared highly irritated at the intrusion, waved its trunk 
in the air, and the moment he spoke, reared upon its hind 
legs, turned short round, and, with a shrill, passionate cry, 
rushed after him, bearing down the opposing reeds in his 
way, while Lieutenant Arlett vainly attempted to effect 
his escape. For a short time he had hopes of eluding his 
pursuer, as the animal perceived one of the seamen mount- 
ed on the top of a tree, about twenty feet high and three 
in circumference, menaeinghim by his voice and gestures, 
while preparing to fire. The elephant turned short round, 
and, shrieking with rage, made a kind of spring against 
the tree, as if to reach the object of his attack, when his 
ponderous weight bore the whole to the ground, but for- 
tunately wilhout hurting the man, who slipped among the 
reeds. The ferocious animal still followed him, foaming 
with rage, to the rising bank of the river; the man cry-, 
ing loudly, “An Elephant! an elephant!” until closely 
pressed by his pursuer, they both came upon the top of the 
slope, where the party who had heard his cries were pre- 
pared, and instantly fired a volley as the elephant appear- 
ed. This made him return with increased fury to Mr. 
Arlett, who, in his eagerness to escape, stumbled and fell, 
the huge beast running over him and severely bruisinghis 
ankle. 
As soon as he had passed, Mr. Arlett arose, and, limping 
with pain, attempted once more to retreat, but the animal 
returned to the attack; his trunk was flourished in the air, 
and the next moment the unfortunate officer was struck 
senseless to the ground. On recovering himself his situa- 
tion appeared hopeless, his huge antagonist standing over 
him, chaffing and screaming with rage, pounding theearth 
with his feet, and ploughing it with his tusks. When the 
party first saw them, Mr. Arlett was lying between the 
elephant’s legs, and had it been the intention of the animal 
to destroy him, placing a foot upon his senseless body would 
in a moment have crushed him to atoms; but it is proba- 
ble that his object was only to punish and alarm, not to kill 
— such conjecture being perfectly in accordance with the 
character of this noble but revengeful beast. 
Mr. Arlett was with much care instantly conveyed on 
board the schooner, when, on examination, it was found 
that his body was severely bruised, yet no bones were bro- 
ken, excepting the fibula of the left leg, which was sup- 
posed to be slightly fractured. It appeared that the ele- 
phant, on his last return to Mr. Arlett, had filled his trunk 
with mud, which, having turned him on his back, and 
forced open his mouth, he blew down his throat, injecting 
a large quantity into the stomach. It was this that pro- 
duced the inflated appearance of Mr. Arlett’s countenance, 
for he was almost in a state of suffocation, and for three 
