Accordingly, I Crept Nearer And Nearer,
Well Concealed In The Favourable Crop Of High And Sheltering
Stems, Until I Was
Within fifteen yards of the hindmost animal.
As I had never shot one of the African species, I was determined
To follow the Ceylon plan, and get as near as possible; therefore
I continued to creep from row to row of dhurra, until I at length
stood at the very tail of the elephant in the next row. I could
easily have touched it with my rifle, but just at this moment, it
either obtained my wind, or it heard the rustle of the men. It
quickly turned its head half round towards me; in the same
instant I took the temple shot, and, by the flash of the rifle,
I saw that it fell. Jumping forward past the huge body, I fired
the left-hand barrel at an elephant that had advanced from the
herd; it fell immediately! Now came the moment for a grand rush,
as they stumbled in confusion over the last fallen elephant, and
jammed together in a dense mass with their immense ears
outspread, forming a picture of intense astonishment! Where were
my spare guns? Here was a grand opportunity to run in and floor
them right and left!
"Not a man was in sight, everybody had bolted! and I stood in
advance of the dead elephant calling for my guns in vain. At
length one of my fellows came up, but it was too late, the fallen
elephant in the herd had risen from the ground, and they had all
hustled off at a great pace, and were gone; I had only bagged one
elephant.
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