XXXIV 
A FEW DAYS’ HUNTING 
3°i 
off, I put five split '303’s into him without the 
slightest effect, and disappointed and very angry, 
returned to find my carriers coming to look for 
their dead master, my tracker following somewhat 
cautiously in the rear with my *500 cordite rifle. 
After giving him a luminous homily on the wicked¬ 
ness of deserting at a critical moment with his 
master’s rifle, I severely boxed his ears, and taking 
the weapon from him, and accompanied by another 
of my men, I followed up the wounded elephant. 
That night, we were obliged to sleep on the spoor, 
but about nine o’clock, next morning, came up with 
the animal quietly feeding, as if nothing untoward 
had occurred on the previous day. As he presented 
a back view, I aimed a little above the root of his 
tail, and the bullet, crashing into his spine, brought 
him to his haunches. A second bullet gave him 
the coup de grace . His tusks, which were of 
beautiful ivory, weighed 87 and 91 lbs., respectively. 
During the night following the death of the 
above elephant, I was awakened by a yell of pain 
from my guide, Nepaha, sleeping some twenty or 
thirty yards away from me, and on rising and 
inquiring what had happened, found that a hyaena 
had bitten off his right ear. I thoroughly disin¬ 
fected the wound and bandaged it up, and though 
poor Nepaha’s looks were not enhanced by his loss, 
he was quite well again in about a month’s time. 
