352 
THE ELEPHANT. 
ing, however, to make her change it for the better, 
and thus enable me to destroy her at once, I took 
up a stone and hurled it at her with all my force; 
when, snorting horribly, erecting her tail, keeping 
her head close to the ground, and raising clouds of 
dust with her feet, she rushed at me with fearful 
fury. I had only just time to level my rifle and 
fire before she was upon me; and the next instant, 
whilst instinctively turning round for the purpose 
of retreating, she laid me prostrate. The shock 
was so violent as to send my rifle, powder-flask, and 
ball-pouch, as also my cap, spinning into the air; 
the gun, indeed, as afterwards ascertained, to a 
distance of fully ten feet. On the beast charging, 
it crossed my mind that, unless I was gored at once 
by her horn, her impetus would be such (after 
knocking me down, which I took it for granted 
she would do) as to carry her beyond me, 
and I might thus be afforded a chance of escape. 
So, indeed, it happened ; for having tumbled me 
over (in doing which her head and the fore part 
of her body, owing to the violence of her charge, 
were half buried in the sand), and trampled on 
me with great violence, her fore-quarter passed 
over my body. Struggling for life, I seized my 
opportunity, and, as she was recovering herself 
for a renewal of the charge, I scrambled out from 
between her hind legs. 
But the enraged beast had not yet done with 
me. Scarcely had I regained my feet, before she 
struck me down a second time, and with her horn 
ripped up my right thigh (though not very deeply) 
