These Young Things Are Excessively Foolhardy And
Willful, And He Charged Me The Moment I Arrived.
As I laid the
rifle upon the ground instead of firing at him, the rascally
gunbearers, with the exception of Carrasi, threw down the rifles
and ran up the trees like so many monkeys, just as I had jumped
on one side and caught the young elephant by the tail.
He was
far too strong for me to hold, and, although I dug my heels into
the ground and held on with all my might, he fairly ran away with
me through the forest. Carrasi now came to my assistance and
likewise held on by his tail; but away we went like the tender to
a steam-engine; wherever the elephant went there we were dragged
in company. Another man now came to the rescue; but his
assistance was not of the slightest rise, as the animal was so
powerful and of such weight that he could have run away with half
a dozen of us unless his legs were tied. Unfortunately we had no
rope, or I could have secured him immediately, and seeing that we
had no power over him whatever, I was obliged to run back for one
of the guns to shoot him. On my return it was laughable to see
the pace at which he was running away with the two men, who were
holding on to his tail like grim death, the elephant not having
ceased roaring during the run.
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