38 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
into her eye (which I felt sure I could do), but, being uncertain 
whether such a shot would be fatal from my position, and 
feeling that my reputation as a hunter, with both my own 
men and the natives of the country, would be blasted at the 
outset should I make a failure of my first chance at elephant, 
I waited till my arms ached again with holding my heavy gun 
at the ready. At last, however, she did give me the longed- 
for chance, and I instantly put a ball between the eye and 
the ear, dropping her like a stone. The others near, not 
having winded me and not knowing what was up, moved 
away only a short distance. Following carefully I came 
upon two; the nearest facing me, her trunk up and chest 
exposed, the cover fortunately allowing me to see it. Know¬ 
ing they would be off again I gave her a shot in the chest, 
and as she turned to run, the second barrel. Following again 
I saw her down not more than fifty yards on. Going round 
to her head she gave a slight struggle, so I thought it wise 
to give her a shot in the back from my “ cripple -stopper ” 
(as I call a Martini-Henry one of my men always carries 
for the purpose, so as to economise my own cartridges). 
Pushing on again I came upon another standing at right 
angles, which I dropped under a tree with the temple shot, 
like the first. Ahead a little way again two or three more were 
soon seen. One, as I approached, came towards me in an 
aggressive way, having evidently become aware of my presence. 
I dared not wait, so close was she, so fired for her head, being 
unable to see her chest, when not more than six yards off. 
She fell to the shot, but somehow or other sideways on to me. 
I could see her dimly through the undergrowth between us, 
and make out for a second the outline of her head as she lay, 
not on her side but as it were kneeling down. I ought to 
have given her the second barrel then, knowing she could only 
be stunned ; but I was a little too slow, and she was up again 
and off without giving me another chance. She stood and 
screamed some sixty or seventy yards off, but the cover was 
