Behind, and in a few minutes I was within twenty
yards of them; I would not fire, as I was determined to bag my wounded
bird before I fired a single shot at another.
They now reached the forest, but, instead of retreating, the wounded
elephant turned short round upon the very edge of the jungle and faced
me; the remaining portion of the herd (consisting of two large elephants
and two calves) had passed on into the cover.
This was certainly a plucky elephant; his whole face was a mass of
blood, and he stood at the very spot where the herd had passed into the
forest, as though he was determined to guard the entrance. I was now
about twenty-five yards from him, when, gathering himself together for a
decisive charge, he once more came on.
I was on the point of pulling the trigger, when he reeled, and fell
without a shot, from sheer exhaustion; but recovering himself
immediately, he again faced me, but did not move. This was a fatal
pause. He forgot the secret of throwing his head back, and he now held
it in the natural position, offering a splendid shot at about twenty
yards. Once more the four-ounce buried itself in his skull, and he fell
dead.
