New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-07-06
The Pleasures of Elephant Hunting

In the newly published London work entitled
the ss Rife and Hound in Ceylon'' we find the
following exciting and interesting description of
elep ephant hunting, derived from the personal
experience of the author, Mr.. S. W. Baker:
At Que time, as Mr.. Baker was wandering
with his brother among the mighty ruins of by
gone palaces which are strewn over the Island
of Ceylon, re found himself in the immediate
vicinity of two elephants, upon whose destruc
ton he unhesl tatingly determined. The ele-
plants retreated to jungle, and while he was
deliberating upon proper mode of procedure,
he suddenly heard deep cultural sound in the
thick rattan, and the same instant the whole
tangled mass burst asunder within four feet of
where he was standing, and he saw the furious
head of an elephant in full charge upon him
81 had barely time to cock my rifle, and the
barrel almost touched him as l fired. l knew it
was in vain, as his trunk was raised B. fired
his right-h hand barrel at the same moment with
out effect, and from the same cause. l jumped
on one side, and attempted to spring through
the deep mud it was of no use; the long grass
entangled my feet, and in another moment | lay
sprawling in the enraged elephants path within
q foot of him. In that moment OF suspense
expected to hear the crack of my own bones, as
his massive foot would be upon me. 1t was an
atom of time. l heard the crack of a gun; it
| was BIS last barrel. l felt spongy weight
strike my heel, and turning quickly heels over
[, head, rolled few PAGES anu regained my feet.
That last shot had foored him just as he was
upan me the end of his trunk had fallen upon
my heel Still, he was not dead, but he struck
at me with his trunk as passed round his head
to give him fnisher with the fourou rifle
which had snatched from our solitary gun
! bearer"
But. of all the adventures related by Mr.
Baker, the following is of the most thrilling in
te rest. He had discovered in a large plain,
which was covered with huge lemon grass to a
height of ten or twelve feet, q herd of ten ele
phants, and in company with his brother had
shot five of them We give the story in his own
language:
81 had one barrel still loaded, and l was
pusbin q my way through the tangled grass to-
wards he spot where the five elephants lay to-
getber. hen | suddenly heard Wallace shrek
out: { Lo, ,k out, sir look out IAN elephants
coming ...
81 turned round in moment; and close
past Wallace, from the very spot where the last
dead elephant lay, came the very essence and
incarnation of u rogue elephant in full charge.
His trunk was thrown high in the air, his ears
were cooked, his tail stood high above his back
as stiff as a pok er, and screaming exactly like
the whistle OF q railway engine. he rushed upon
me through the high grass with velocity that
was perfectly wonderful. His eyes flashed as
he came on, and he had singled me out as his
\ victim.
| 81 have often been in dangerous positions
4 before but never felt SO totally devoid Of hope
as I did in this instance The tangled grass
rendered retreat impossible. | had one barrel
loaded, and that was useless, as the uplltted
| trunk protected his forehead | felt myself
| Goomed; the few thoughts that rush through
m EMS minds in such hopeless positions few
| tn, ough mine, and l resolved to walt Tor MIN
until he was close upon me before tlred, hoping
that he might lower his trunk and expose his
| forehea d. en-
ws. He rushed at the pace of horse in full
sneed in q few moments, as the long grass flew
| ~ tho riobt and left before him, he was close
! unon me Init still his trunk was raised and
Would not fire One second more, and at this
baadlonp mace he was within three feet of me
down slashed his trunk with the rapldlty OF 9
whipthong, and with shril scream oil Jury nj
was upon me. t.,.,;.
al fred at that instant, but in the twinkline
J of an eve was flying through the air like bat
st the moment of firing | had jumped to th'
l. Ct, but he struck me with his tusk IN tul
~ rye upon my right thigh, and hurled MI
on o;nh t OF ten PAGES from him, That very mo
,nent p,sn he stopped, and turning round, he bea
~. ,ss about with his trunk, and commences
. s,s;ct search for me. | heard him adVanein
a,as,, 10 the spot where lay as still as death
Inon,ine know that my last hope Of escape was i
perfectly still still ubs1s heard ,1 the cess gess
and nd = ios er he approached, and he at lengt
haot ,aa bs grass with his trunk several times eS
seflv oei1S abose aS me. held my BREATH momentarl
,a eYnect inc to feel his ponderous foot upon me
1G altbo, ,ah I had not felt the sensation of tea
while he was deliberately hunting me up Fot
tunat, @ ,ly. had reserved my fire until the riti
had % al most touched him, and despoiled his acus
power of scent To my Joy heard hasrS the rSstln Il
a still greater distance; at last 1t was gone
The sehoolmaster has made his appearance
Califor MIA, as the following, from the San Eral
cisco un, will show
"W., met grammarian, who had just MAD
an uns uecessfui tour through the mines, CONF
eating, OF rather cogitating, thus: fositl'
mine. comparative miner, superlatt7e minus
Row Robert Patterson, OF Ireland, VINO o.
!. COMMA MED DR.. Dun through the West, NJ
! accen ted a call to the Reformed fresbyteria
oSSNf ,+raot Cincinnati.