I) N i
IIGI
Down I went again, having been standing on tiptoe. The
kick of the rifle was not heavy when an ordinary position
was possible; but at that time it could only be compared
to a stiff match with the gloves against some adept in the
noble art. The second recoil resulted in a cut cheek and a
black eye.
Both the bulls, however, fell when I fell. The rest of
the herd with uplifted trunks broke away in all directions.
The wind being weak they were uncertain which course to
strike, which doubled our by no means improbable chance
of being run over. As usual the empty cases stuck in
the big gun, and for the life of me I could not extract
more than one of them, although in less time than it
takes to write this both the bulls were again on their legs,
trumpeting wildly as they broke impetuously through the
high grass. I managed to replace one cartridge, and after
a hot chase succeeded in finishing off elephant number
one.
At the sound of the rifle’s report, number two—the biggest
bull, and badly wounded—instantly wheeled and faced me,
his trumpet tones shrieking in the air, while his ears, spread
out in anger, flapped like a foresail in a shifting wind. The
formidable beast was in the act of charging, and a thrill
went through my nerves when I felt how weak I was without
the big gun. Not a moment was to be lost, so I fired both
barrels of C.L.K. right into his temple, which made him
shake his old grey head and, with piercing screams, beat
a rapid retreat towards the gloomy shades of the great
palms.
“ Confound those cartridges ! ”
“ Look o u t! ” shouted Fred at the top notes of his voice,
“ dere is elephants coming.”
I had nothing but C.L.K, and sure enough a number of