Of him, and safely located in a thick
jungle which covered that portion of the mountain. Being empty-handed, I
soon scrambled up and caught the little fellow by the tail; but he was
so strong that I could not hold him, although I exerted all my strength,
and he dragged me slowly towards the jungle to which his mother had
retreated. V. now came up, and he being loaded, I told him to keep a
look-out for the mother's return, while I secured my captive, by seizing
him by the trunk with one hand and by the tail with the other; in this
manner I could just master him by throwing my whole weight down the
hill, and he began to roar like a full-grown elephant. The mother was
for a wonder faithless to her charge, and did not return to the little
one's assistance. While I was engaged in securing him, the gun-bearers
came up, and at this moment I observed, at the foot of the hill, another
elephant, not quite full grown, who was retreating through the high
grass towards the jungle. There were no guns charged except one of my
No. 10 rifles, which some one had reloaded; taking this, I left the
little 'Ponchy' with V. and the gun-bearers, and running down the side
of the hill, I came up with the elephant just as he was entering the
jungle, and getting the earshot, I killed him.
We had bagged nine elephants, and only one had escaped from the herd;
this was the female who had forsaken her young one.
Wallace now came up and cut off the tails of those that I had killed. I
had one barrel still loaded, and I was pushing my way through the
tangled grass towards the spot where the five elephants lay together,
when I suddenly heard Wallace shriek out, 'Look out, sir! Look out!--an
elephant's coming!'
I turned round in a moment; and close past Wallace, from the very spot
where the last dead elephant lay, came the very essence and incarnation
of a 'rogue' elephant in full charge. His trunk was thrown high in the
air, his ears were cocked, his tail stood erect above his back as stiff
as a poker, and screaming exactly like the whistle of a railway engine,
he rushed upon me through the high grass with a velocity that was
perfectly wonderful. His eyes flashed as he came on, and he had singled
me out as his victim.
I have often been in dangerous positions, but I never felt so totally
devoid of hope as I did in this instance. The tangled grass rendered
retreat impossible. I had only one barrel loaded, and that was useless,
as the upraised trunk protected his forehead. I felt myself doomed; the
few thoughts that rush through men's minds in such hopeless positions,
flew through mine, and I resolved to wait for him till he was close upon
me, before I fired, hoping that he might lower his trunk and expose his
forehead.
He rushed along at the pace of a horse in full speed; in a few moments,
as the grass flew to the right and left before him, he was close upon
me, but still his trunk was raised and I would not fire. One second
more, and at this headlong pace he was within three feet of me; down
slashed his trunk with the rapidity of a whip-thong! and with a shrill
scream of fury he was upon me!
I fired at that instant; but in a twinkling of an eye I was flying
through the air like a ball from a bat. At the moment of firing. I had
jumped to the left, but he struck me with his tusk in full charge upon
my right thigh, and hurled me eight or ten paces from him. That very
moment he stopped, and, turning round, he beat the grass about with his
trunk, and commenced a strict search for me. I heard him advancing close
to the spot where I lay as still as death, knowing that my last chance
lay in concealment. I heard the grass rustling close to me; closer and
closer he approached, and he at length beat the grass with his trunk
several times exactly above me. I held my breath, momentarily expecting
to feel his ponderous foot upon me. Although I had not felt the
sensation of fear while I had stood opposed to him, I felt like what I
never wish to feel again while he was deliberately hunting me up.
Fortunately I had reserved my fire until the rifle had almost touched
him, for the powder and smoke had nearly blinded him, and had spoiled
his acute power of scent. To my joy I heard the rustling of the grass
grow fainter; again I heard it at a still greater distance; at length it
was gone!
At that time I thought that half my bones were broken, as I was numbed
from head to foot by the force of the blow. His charge can only be
compared to a blow from a railway engine going at twenty miles an hour.
Not expecting to be able to move, I crept to my hands and knees. To my
delight there were no bones broken, and with a feeling of thankfulness I
stood erect. I with difficulty reached a stream of water near the spot,
in which I bathed my leg, but in a few minutes it swelled to the size of
a man's waist. In this spot everyone had congregated, and were loading
their guns, but the rogue had escaped.
My cap and rifle were now hunted for, and they were at length found near
the spot where I had been caught.
