In about a quarter of an hour, we heard by the
noise in the jungle, about a hundred yards from the
river, that the elephants were directly opposite to us.
I accordingly instructed Jali to creep quietly by
himself into the bush and to bring me information
of their position : to this he at once agreed.
In three or four minutes he returned; he declared
it impossible to use the sword, as the jungle was so
dense that it would check the blow, but that I could
use the rifle, as the elephants were close to us—he
had seen three standing together, between us and
the main body of the herd. I told Jali to lead me
direct to the spot, and, followed by Florian and the
aggageers, with my gun-bearers, I kept within a foot
of my dependable little guide, who crept gently into
the jungle; this was intensely thick, and quite impenetrable,
except in such places where elephants and
other heavy animals had trodden numerous alleys.
Along one of these narrow passages we stealthily
advanced, until Jali stepped quietly on one side, and
pointed with his finger : I immediately observed two
elephants looming through the thick bushes about
eight paces from me. One offered a temple shot,
which I quickly took with a Reilly No. 10, and
floored it on the spot. The smoke hung so thickly,
that I could not see sufficiently distinctly to fire my
second barrel before the remaining elephant had
turned ; but Florian, with a three-ounce steel-tipped
bullet, by a curious shot at the hind quarters, injured
the hip joint to such an extent that we could more
than equal the elephant in speed. In a few moments
we found ourselves in a small open glade in the
middle of the jungle, close to the stern of the elephant
we were following. I had taken a fresh rifle, with
both barrels loaded, and hardly had I made the
exchange, when the elephant turned suddenly, and
charged. Determined to try fairly the forehead shot,
I kept my ground, and fired a Reilly No. 10, quicksilver
and lead bullet, exactly in the centre, when
certainly within four yards. The only effect was
to make her stagger backwards, when, in another
moment, with her immense ears thrown forward,
she again rushed on. This was touch-and-go ; but
I fired my remaining barrel a little lower than
the first shot. Checked in her rush, she backed
towards the dense jungle, throwing her trunk about
and trumpeting with rage. Snatching the Ceylon
No. 10 from one of my trusty Tokrooris (Hassan), I
ran straight at her, took a most deliberate aim at the
forehead, and once more fired. The only effect was a
decisive charge; but before I fired my last barrel,
Jali rushed in, and, with one blow of his sharp sword,
severed the back sinew. She was utterly helpless in
the same instant. Bravo Jali! I had fired three
beautifully correct shots with No. 10 bullets, and
seven drachms of powder in each charge ; these were
so nearly together that they occupied a space in 'her
forehead of about three inches, and all had failed to
kill! There could no longer be any doubt that the
forehead shot at an African elephant could not be