CHAP. VIII.] 
AN UPSET. 
219 
then about six feet high. After riding for about four¬ 
teen miles, one of the guides ran back, and reported 
elephants to be on the road a little in advance. One 
of my mounted men offered to accompany me should 
I wish to hunt them. I had no faith in my man, but 
I rode forward, and shortly observed a herd of ten bull 
elephants standing together about sixty yards from the 
path. The grass was high, but I rode through it to 
within about forty yards before I was observed; they 
immediately dashed away, and I followed for about a 
mile at a trot, the ground being so full of holes and 
covered with fallen trees, concealed in the high grass, 
that I did not like to close until I should arrive in a 
more favourable spot. At length I shot at full gallop 
past an immense fellow, with tusks about five feet pro- 
jecting from his jaws, and reining up, I fired with a 
Eeilly No. 10 at the shoulder. He charged straight 
into me at the sound of the shot. My horse, Filfil, 
was utterly unfit for a hunter, as he went perfectly mad 
at the report of a gun fired from his back, and at the 
moment of the discharge he reared perpendicularly ; 
the weight, and the recoil of the rifle, added to the 
sudden rearing of the horse, unseated me, and I fell, 
rifle in hand, backwards over his hind-quarters at the 
moment the elephant rushed in full charge upon the 
horse. Away went “ Filfil/"’ leaving me upon the 
ground in a most inglorious position; and, fortunately, 
the grass being high, the elephant lost sight of me 
and followed the horse instead of giving me his 
attention. 
My horse was lost; my man had never even accom¬ 
panied me, having Tagged behind at the very com¬ 
mencement of the hunt. I had lost my rifle in the 
high grass, as I had been forced to make a short run 
from the spot before I knew, that the elephant had fol¬ 
lowed the horse; thus I was nearly an hour before I 
found it, and also my azimuth compass that had fallen 
from my belt pouch. After much shouting and 
whistling, my mounted man arrived, and making him 
