X 
EXCURSIONS FROM EL BOGOI 
217 
the way, owing to the thick and thorny scrub, I fired in her 
face when only a few paces off, not knowing what else to do 
and not caring to wait to test her intentions by allowing her 
to reach me—though I do not believe they were evil, but 
rather suppose she did not know I was there at all. I 
afterwards, in thinking over the situation (one which has 
occurred to me more than once before), came to the conclusion 
that I ought to have shouted at her, to make her halt or turn 
her broadside. I did not want to shoot at her as she came 
on ; for not only was it well-nigh impossible to give her a 
fatal shot in that position, but behind her was one with larger 
tusks. Her chest was covered by the undergrowth as well as 
by her trunk, which was down, and to reach her brain through 
the thick part of the latter and the whole length of her head, 
as I looked up at her, was barely possible even if the aim 
happened to be right—at all events with the io-bore I had in 
my hands, though no doubt a .303 has sufficient penetration. 
Jumping aside into the thorns the instant I had pulled the 
trigger, and before the voluminous smoke from the big charge 
of black powder allowed me to see what she was doing, I was 
too late to. give her a second shot as she turned off, as I might 
have been able to do had I stood firm. But, in the momentary 
glance I got at her the second after I fired, I distinctly saw 
the bullet-wound in the centre of the thick part of her trunk 
and the blood coming from it. 
Following again, we soon came upon the two once more, 
but this time in a very thick place. I could only see one ; she 
was standing awkwardly, nearly facing me, and in the shadow 
of the bush, and before I could get a better view they moved 
on. Probably the old cow which I had killed had been their 
leader, and her loss was the cause of their delaying so much ; 
for the wounded one was not badly enough hurt to prevent 
their going right away, and they were of course thoroughly 
alarmed. We found blood, though only a little, on the spoor ; 
but we never sighted them again, though we persevered and 
