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ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
Though I could not grip my rifle with my right hand, I 
could hold it up with my left and put a finger of the damaged 
one on the trigger, and in this way, aiming for the sound, I 
fired a shot. Instantly a light-coloured animal dashed out of 
the scrub within a few yards of us, made visible by the light of 
the fire that always burned outside my hut. Those around me 
nearly knocked me down in their alarm, rushing back into my 
hut under the impression that the lion was upon us ; and I 
confess that at the first moment of catching sight of it I 
thought it was one myself. But it turned behind my hut 
instead of coming on, and was, in fact, the donkey which the 
lions had dropped on my firing the shot. 
At the time I supposed that the whizzing of the bullet close 
past had made them let go for a moment, but it proved after¬ 
wards that this shot had actually hit one of them ; the donkey, 
moreover, was in the end recovered, and eventually got over its 
wounds. This by the way: I did not know then that I had 
done any good, though I knew I had hurt my hand ; and my 
impression that it was to no purpose was confirmed by another 
donkey being caught at once, as was proved by similar sounds 
of a struggle coming again from close to the same spot as 
before. Neither shots fired by the men nor firebrands thrown 
had any effect, and after more struggling, panting, and groaning, 
the donkey was killed and then dragged farther off, amid 
horrible gurglings and gruntings. I concluded it was useless 
to attempt to do any more in the pitch dark, for, even had we 
succeeded in making the lions drop the present victim, another 
would have certainly been caught, since all the donkeys were 
out in the bush ; better, then, let one be eaten, and endeavour 
to concoct a plan to make its sacrifice a means of revenge. In 
the meantime I finished my interrupted meal. 
Lesiat rather annoyed me by talking idiotically. I fancy, 
though, that he was even more disappointed in me ; and I must 
have fallen lamentably as a magician in the estimation of my 
Ndorobo friends on this occasion, in that my magical powers— 
