880 
UGANDA 
[CH. XIII 
and at a great pace, his feet swishing through the long 
grass ; and a formidable monster he looked. At forty 
yards I fired the right barrel of the Holland into his 
head, and, though I missed the brain, the shock dazed 
him and brought him to an instant halt. Immediately 
Kermit put a bullet from the Winchester into his head ; 
as he wheeled I gave him the second barrel between the 
neck and shoulder, through his ear ; and Kermit gave 
him three more shots before he slewed round and dis¬ 
appeared. There were not many minutes of daylight 
left, and we followed hard on his trail, Kongoni leading. 
At first there was only an occasional gout of dark blood, 
but soon we found splashes of red froth from the lungs ; 
then we came to where he had fallen, and then we 
heard him crashing among the branches in thick jungle 
to the right. In we went after him, through the gather¬ 
ing gloom, Kongoni leading and 1 close behind, with 
the rifle ready for instant action ; for, though his strength 
was evidently fast failing, he was also evidently in a 
savage temper, anxious to wreak his vengeance before 
he died. On we went, following the bloody trail through 
dim, cavernous windings in the dark, vine-covered 
jungle ; we heard him smash the branches but a few 
yards ahead, and fall and rise; and, stealing forward, 
Kermit and I slipped up to within a dozen feet of him 
as he stood on the other side of some small twisted trees 
hung with a mat of creepers. I put a bullet into his 
heart; Kermit fired. Each of us fired again on the in¬ 
stant ; the mighty bull threw up his trunk, crashed over 
backward, and lay dead on his side among the bushes. 
A fine sight he was, a sight to gladden any hunter’s 
heart, as he lay in the twilight, a giant in death. 
At once we trotted back to camp, reaching it as 
darkness fell ; and next morning all of us came out to 
