My Brother Got
A Shot, And Killed The Last Of The Herd; In Another Moment They Had
Disappeared.
It had been a sharp burst up the steep hill, and we stopped
to breathe, but we were almost immediately in pursuit again, as we saw
the herd emerge from the jungle at the base of the hill, and plough
their way through a vast field of high lemon grass.
Upon arriving on their tracks, they had fairly distanced us. The grass,
which was as thick as a hedge, was trodden into lanes by the elephants,
and upon either side it stood like a wall ten or twelve feet high. Upon
these tracks we ran along for some time, until it became dusk. We
halted, and were consulting as to the prudence of continuing the chase
at this late hour, when we suddenly heard the cracking of the branches
in a small jungle in a hollow close to our left, and upon taking a
position upon some rising ground, we distinctly saw several elephants
standing in the high grass about a hundred paces before us, close to the
edge of the jungle in which the remaining portion of the herd was
concealed. Two of the elephants were looking at us, and as there was no
time to lose, we walked straight up to them. They stood quietly watching
us till we were within twenty yards, when they came a few paces forward,
one immediately fall ing dead to my shot, while the other was turned by
a shot from my brother; the rest retreated to the jungle over the most
difficult ground for both man and beast.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 215 of 343
Words from 57142 to 57416
of 91283
