On they came, the forest trembling with the onset. The leafy curtain
burst into tatters; the jungle ropes and snaky stems, tearing the
branches from the treetops, were in a few moments heaped in a tangled
and confused ruin. One dense mass of elephants' heads, in full career,
presented themselves through the shattered barrier of creepers.
Running towards them with a loud holloa, they were suddenly checked by
our unexpected apparition, but the confused mass of elephants made the
shooting very difficult. Two elephants rushed out to cross the little
nook within four yards of me, and I killed both by a right and left
shot. Wallace immediately pushed a spare rifle into my hand, just as a
large elephant, meaning mischief, came straight towards me, with ears
cocked, from the now staggered body of the herd. I killed her with the
front shot, both barrels having gone off at once, the heavy charge of
powder in the right-hand barrel having started the trigger of the left
barrel by the concussion. Round wheeled the herd, leaving their three
leaders dead; and now the race began.
It was a splendid forest, and the elephants rushed off at about ten
miles an hour, in such a compact troop that their sterns formed a living
barrier, and not a head could be seen. At length, after a burst of about
two hundred yards, the deep and dry bed of a torrent formed a trench
about ten feet in width.
Not hesitating at this obstacle, down went the herd without missing a
step; the banks crumbled and half-filled the trench as the leaders
scrambled across, and the main body rushed after them at an
extraordinary pace.
I killed a large elephant in the act of crossing; he rolled into the
trench, but struggling to rise, I gave him the other barrel in the nape
of the neck, which, breaking his spine, extinguished him. He made a
noble bridge, and, jumping upon his carcass, we cleared the ravine, and
again the chase continued, although the herd had now gained about thirty
paces.
Upon a fine meadow of grass, about four feet high, the herd now rushed
along in a compact mass extending in a broad line of massive
hind-quarters over a surface of half an acre. This space formed a
complete street in their wake, as they levelled everything before them;
and the high grass stood up on either side like a wail.
Along this level road we ran at full speed, and by great exertions
managed to keep within twenty yards of the game. Full a quarter of a
mile was passed at this pace without a shot being fired. At length one
elephant turned and faced about exactly in front of me. My three
double-barrelled rifles were now all empty, and I was carrying the
little No. 16 gun. I killed him with the right-hand barrel, but I lost
ground by stopping to fire.
A jungle lay about two hundred yards in front of the herd, and they
increased their speed to arrive at this place of refuge.
Giving the little gun, with one barrel still loaded, to Wallace, I took
the four-ounce rifle in exchange, as I knew I could not close up with
the herd before they reached the jungle, and a long shot would be my
last chance. With this heavy gun (21 lbs.) I had hard work to keep my
distance, which was about forty yards from the herd.
Palliser and Wortley were before me, and within twenty yards of the
elephants. They neared the jungle; I therefore ran off to my left as
fast as I could go, so as to ensure a side-shot. I was just in time to
command their flank as the herd reached the jungle. A narrow river, with
steep banks of twenty feet in height, bordered the edge, and I got a
shot at a large elephant just as he arrived upon the brink of the chasm.
He was fifty paces off, but I hit him in the temple with the four-ounce,
and rolled him down the precipitous bank into the river. Here he lay
groaning; so, taking the little gun, with one barrel still loaded, I
extinguished him from the top of the bank.
Oh, for half-a-dozen loaded guns! I was now unloaded, and the fun began
in real earnest. The herd pushed for a particular passage down the steep
bank. It was like a rush at the door of the Opera; they jostled each
other in a confused melee, and crossed the river with the greatest
difficulty. By some bad luck Palliser and Wortley only killed one as the
herd was crossing the river, but they immediately disappeared in
pursuit, as the elephants, having effected their passage, retreated in
thick jungle on the other side.
I was obliged to halt to load, which I did as quickly as possible. While
I was ramming the balls down, I heard several shots fired in quick
succession, and when loaded, I ran on with my gun-bearers towards the
spot.
It was bad, thorny jungle, interspersed with numerous small glades of
fine turf.
Upon arriving in one of these glades, about a quarter of a mile beyond
the river, I saw a crowd of gun-bearers standing around some person
lying upon the ground. Neither Palliser nor Wortley were to be seen, and
for an instant a chill ran through me, as I felt convinced that some
accident had happened.
