224 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER ch . 
cautioning my men to keep a considerable distance 
behind, lest they should disturb the elephant, pro¬ 
ceeded to follow up the spoor on foot, my tracker, 
Malingum, carrying my heavy double rifle, and 
Ntawasie my light 1075 mm - After another 
hour’s work, we came up with the animal standing 
stock-still in a thicket of bamboos about fifty yards 
distant, with his head turned away from us ; and, as 
the wind was blowing at a dangerous angle from us 
to him and the level, bamboo and grass-covered 
country rendered a detour difficult, I decided to 
wait a few minutes, hoping that he might turn 
slightly and give me the opportunity of placing a 
bullet in a vital spot. At this juncture, a faint trace 
of our scent must have reached him, for he began 
tentatively sniffing the wind with his trunk, and 
turned his head slightly to the left. The moment 
was an anxious one, and Malingum, growing im¬ 
patient, whispered : ‘ He has winded us, bwana ; 
fire, or he will be off!’ So, aiming several inches 
behind the animal’s ear, at an angle that I 
calculated would ensure the bullet reaching his 
brain, I fired my first barrel, but was very much 
surprised to find that the brute did not even budge 
from where he stood. (I discovered on subsequent 
examination that the bullet had struck him too high 
up to be effective.) I promptly emptied my second 
barrel into him aiming for his heart, and the instant 
