MR. OSWELL'S NARROW ESCAPE. 
309 
1 may here add an adventure with an elephant of one 
has had more narrow escapes than any man living, 
but whoso modesty has always prevented him from publish- 
ing any thing about himself. When wo woro on the banks of 
the Zouga in 1850, Mr. Oswcll pursued onoof theso animals 
into the donso, thick, thorny bushes met with on tho margin 
of that river, and to which tho elephant usually flees foi 
safety. Ho followed through a narrow pathway by lifting 
np some of the branchos and forcing his way through tho 
rost; but, when ho had just got over this difficulty, ho saw 
tho elephant, whoso tail he had but got glimpses of before, 
now rushing toward him. There was then no timo to lift up 
branches; so ho tried to forco tho horso through them. Ho 
could not effect a passage; and, as there was but an instant 
between tho attempt and failure, tho hunter triod to dis- 
mount, but in doing this one foot was caught by a branch, 
nnd tho spur drawn along tho animal’s flank ; this mado 
him spring away and throw tho rider on tho ground with 
is face to tho elephant, which, being in full chaso, still 
wont on. Mr. Oswcll saw tho huge fore-foot about to de- 
scend on bis logs, partod them, and drew in his breath as 
to resist tho pressnro of tho other foot, which ho expected 
would next deseond on his body. Ho saw the whole 
ongth of tho under part of the enormous bruto pass over 
•m : the horso got away safely. I havo heard of but ono 
other authentic instance in which an elephant wont over a 
man without injury, and, for anyone who knows tho nature 
Df tho buph >n which this occurred, tho very thought of an 
encounter in it with such a foe is appalling. As tho thorns 
“■ro placed in pairs on opposite sides of tho branches, and 
cso turn round on boing pressed against, ono pair brings 
o othor exactly into tho position in which it must pierce 
j-m intruder. They cut liko knives. Horses dread this 
us extremely ; indoed, most of them refuse to face its 
thorns. 
On reauning Mbururaa’s village, his brothor came to 
moot us. Wo explained the reason of our delay, and ho 
