260 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
taking care to have a clear passage for a speedy 
exit. When within about twenty-five yards, he 
threw up his trunk and came direct towards me. 
The horse stood steady as old Time, and I gave him 
a conical ball, five to the pound, backed by six 
drachms of fine powder, on the point of the shoulder- 
blade. Mesh and blood could not stand before such 
a driver; and, staggering and stumbling forwards a 
few yards, he pitched right on his head within 
fifteen yards of me ; then my brave followers imme¬ 
diately rushed in and gave him a volley as he lay 
on his broadside, and it was all over with him. I 
was surprised to see that poor Bull, whom we had 
left behind on the sick list, had followed us. He 
had had to swim the river, and was now tearing 
away manfully at the elephant. 
Though the other elephants could not have been 
far off, all hunting was over for that day, as the 
sight of so much fat meat was irresistible to the 
half-starved Masaras ; and nothing I could offer 
would induce them to take up the spoor of the 
other bulls, so they will live to fight another day. 
The scoundrels, when they ran away, rode Luister, 
my second-best horse, two whole days without a 
saddle, and have given him a sore back, so that he 
will be utterly useless for the next month, and even 
then it is doubtful if he will be able to carry a 
saddle. What with sun, sand, and flies, it is very 
hard to heal a back when it is once sore. 
June 6 th [Sunday ).— I have not much to log up. 
