158 
ON SAFARI 
stunsails. For six or eight pregnant seconds they stood 
still, looking around them with majestic deliberation, and 
then ... slowly turned away. 
They had not seen us, simply because we were so 
near. As a matter of fact, the elephants, all this time, 
had been looking far beyond us—over our heads. 
By inspiration, during that crucial interval, we all 
lay motionless. Then, so soon as the elephants wheeled 
to retire, I placed my two barrels (*450, solid) into the big 
tusker at twenty-five yards, aiming rather low behind the 
shoulder. He staggered and stopped, receiving a third 
ball a trifle higher up, when he moved slowly towards 
the marsh. Seeing that he had enough, I placed two 
more balls in the ribs of the next biggest bull, then 
moving three-quarters off, when the two retired by 
themselves to the left, presently entering the reeds 
alone, beyond the main herd. 
My brother meanwhile had devoted all attention, to 
the other big bull, the second best in the company, 
which had passed on his side of the bush, following the 
lead of two cows. This grand elephant I now saw sink 
stern-first among the green flags, remaining upright, 
dead. 
The main mass of elephants were now retiring most 
deliberately through the bog, on the same track by 
which they had advanced; but my two stricken bulls, 
straggling to the left, lagged in the rear of the herd. 
We followed on through the flags in pursuit, when a 
badly-hit cow elephant, bleeding at mouth and trunk, 
turned out on our right, blocking our advance. She 
stood, full broadside, in front of W -, who dropped 
her with a single shot in the temple. Running past 
her, I presently overtook my big bull standing still, 
stern on, in the marsh. On finding himself pursued, he 
turned on us with cocked ears and upraised trunk; but 
in that treacherous bog he was slow in coming round* 
giving time for a careful aim at about seventy yards. 
The ball struck close behind the orifice of the ear, and 
the champion of the troop was mine. His very death 
