3 oo ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER ch. 
trying experiences of the previous day, after some 
easy going, two of them fell to a right and left 
from my *500 cordite rifle, while a third came down 
to a *303 bullet in the region of the brain. The 
last elephant lay on his side as if dead, and ere I 
could make matters doubly sure, one of the female 
elephants among the herd charged me furiously, 
my gun-bearer getting such a fright that he bolted, 
carrying my *500 cordite rifle with him. I 
managed to send the female tearing off with a 
bullet in the face, but found myself in rather an 
unenviable position, i.e. with an empty *303 rifle 
and only a few split bullets suitable for smaller 
game, but with six *500 cordite cartridges and no 
•500 rifle. Creeping up to the top of a neigh¬ 
bouring ant-hill, I yelled myself hoarse to my 
tracker to return with my rifle, but he had got 
such a fright that he never stopped running until 
he reached my carriers about half a mile away. To 
them, he was good enough to report that I had 
been killed, while I, very much alive, stood 
helplessly gazing at the wounded bull, lying 
spasmodically kicking his legs, a retinue of females 
standing round and watching his antics. After 
a period of ten minutes, the whole of which time 
he had lain on his right side, the bull gave a few 
desperate kicks, got to his feet, and calmly started 
to walk away with the females. As he was moving 
