could not pass him. In about a quarter of an hour,
after a careful chase over deep ruts and gullies concealed
in high grass, I arrived at a level space, and
shooting ahead, I gave him a shoulder shot with the
Reilly No. 10 rifle. I saw the wound in a good place,
but the bull rushed along all the quicker, and again
we came into bad ground that made it unwise to close.
However, on the first opportunity I made a dash by
him, and fired my left-hand barrel at full gallop. He
slackened his speed, but I could not halt to reload,
lest I should lose sight of him in the high grass and
bush.
Not a man was with me to hand a spare rifle. My
cowardly fellows, although light-weights and well
mounted, were nowhere; the natives were outrun, as
of course was Richarn, who, not being a good rider,
had preferred to hunt on foot. In vain I shouted for
the men; and I followed the elephant with an empty
rifle for about ten minutes, until he suddenly turned
round, and stood facing me in an open spot in grass
about nine or ten feet high. “ Tetel ” was a grand
horse for elephants, not having the slightest fear, and
standing fire like a rock, never even starting under
the discharge of the heaviest charge of powder. I
now commenced reloading, when presently one of my
men, Yaseen, came up upon “ Filfil.” Taking a spare
gun from him, I rode rapidly past the elephant, and
suddenly reining up, I made a good shot exactly
behind the bladebone. With a shrill scream the
elephant charged down upon me like a steam-engine.
In went the spurs. “ Tetel ” knew his work, and away
he went over the ruts and gullies, the high dry grass
whistling in my ears as we shot along at full speed,
closely followed by the enraged bull for about two
hundred yards.
The elephant then halted; .and turning the horse’s
head, I again faced him and reloaded. I thought he
was dying, as he stood with trunk drooping, and ears
closely pressed back upon his neck. Just at this
moment I heard the rush of elephants advancing
through the green bush upon the rising ground above
the hollow formed by the open space of high withered
grass in which we were standing facing each other.
My man Yaseen had bolted with his fleet horse at the
first charge, and was not to be seen. Presently, the
rushing sound increased, and the heads of a closely
packed herd of about eighteen elephants showed above
the low bushes, and they broke cover, bearing down
directly upon me, both I and my horse being unobserved
in the high grass. I never saw a more lovely
sight; they were all bulls with immense tusks. Waiting
until they were within twenty yards of me, I galloped