9 8 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
with only moderate tusks. The last was my mark. He 
appeared to see me and turned his head a little towards me, 
somewhat interfering with the perfection of the shot afforded. 
I did not like to wait more than a few seconds, though, lest 
the chance should be lost, so let him have a bullet in the 
temple in what seemed to me the right spot He fell to the 
shot, but rose at once, staggering and dizzy. I was ready for 
him, and gave him the other barrel (the others had fled). He 
did not fall again, but staggered about, very dazed and groggy. 
I kept close by his side, and when he tried to move away gave 
him a couple more shots in the region of the heart. He once 
got my wind (I having incautiously gone on the wrong side of 
him) and made a short spurt, I after him, losing my hat and 
getting arms, face, and clothes torn by the thorns. I was 
so close all the time I could have put the muzzle of my 
rifle against him easily by moving a pace or two more ; and 
no doubt that was why he could not see me, as I was behind 
his line of sight, or he would have gone for me. But he could 
not go far and soon pulled up again, seemingly at his last gasp. 
He seemed once to try to come through a thick clump of 
scrub for me ; but his strength appeared to fail, and he 
subsided backwards into a quaint sitting posture, his hind legs 
thrust forward on each side of his huge belly, his forelegs 
straddled out in front, while his head was kept quite straight 
upright by one tusk being against a small tree which was 
between it and his trunk. One would not have known that he 
was dead, only that now the curious rumbling noises he had 
been making all the time had ceased. He was a big bull, but 
his tusks were small (about 40 lbs. apiece).” 
I was pleased to have, as it were, broken the spell and at 
last killed an elephant again. Contrary to my usual custom 
I did not follow the rest of the herd again that day, as I was 
suffering from a touch of fever, and, having got the sun on my 
head (very powerful in the scrub) when I lost my hat, felt 
somewhat exhausted. My Ndorobo hunter was anxious to go 
