140 
ELEPHANT. 
fire was kept up for near half an hour ; the Nawab 
and most of his omras, or lords, used rifles which 
carried two or three ounce-balls ; but they made 
very little impression, and scarcely penetrated be- 
yond the skin. Our author, who was mounted 
upon a female elephant, went up repeatedly within 
ten yards of the wild one, and fired his rifle at his 
head ; the blood gushed out, but the skull was in- 
vulnerable. Some of the Kandahar horse then gal- 
loped up and wounded the beast in several places. 
At length being much exhausted with the loss of 
blood, from the number of wounds which he had 
received ; he slackened his pace, and became quite 
calm and serene, as if determined to meet his ap- 
proaching end. The horsemen seeing him weak 
and slow, dismounted, and with their swords began 
a furious attack on the tendons of his hind-legs, 
which were soon divided, and the operation com- 
pletely disabled the poor animal from proceeding 
any further : he staggered, and then fell without a 
groan. The hatchet-men now advanced, and be- 
gan to cut away his large ivory tusks, while the 
horsemen and soldiers in the most unfeeling man- 
ner attacked the dying creature with their swords. 
We can readily believe the writer, when he says 
the sight was very affecting : the noble animal still 
breathed, and breathed without a groan ; he rolled 
his eyes with anguish on the surrounding crowd, 
and, making a last effort to rise, expired with a 
sigh. 
An elephant in Adsmeer, which often passed 
