The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-04-10

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Il timid quagga's fleet feet carried him
away from the hunters ~ my feet carried
Inc over that ground. But il seems to
Inc for time rs if it were of no use
the awful crashing got nearer and nearer,
| and rs turned my head 10 measure the
distance the foremost was from me, SAW
the lord Of the herd was about thirty
PAGES from me. lie seemed to tower up
to three times his usual height, and to
swell out in proportions three times ns
vast'as his natural size; his grcnt ears
| stood straight out as flat rs Il board, as il
they were wings, and his eyes were like
| Goals of fire; his trunk was lifted up, us
you sometimes see the deadly forest snake
before it strikes the victim; his head was
stretched out, as the head of ~ giraffe
when chased by Il beast Of prey, md the
two long, mighty, cleaning teeth seemed
| awful just then. His eyes caught a glance
of mine as l turned them towards him,
and that instant he uttered another snort
of rage, which WAS as fearful rs the war
horn of the Watuta. but it gave me
greater speed; if ran before, now flew .;
yet closer and closer the monster came.
] suppose he was about fifteen feet from
me when the tricks Of the elephant hunt
crs Of Urori came to my mind. had
| noticed that though the big elephant was
the foremost, he was also the outermost
OH my right-thc other elephants were to
my left, and they seemed to be following
the lord Of the herd rather than any other
particular object. In al instant after OBJ
serving this, shot out straight to the
right from the direction was first going
as hard rs my feet and legs would take
me. The elephants passed on, the rush
ing sound of their feet going through the
grass was like unto the wild pepo OF Ugo-
go, accompanied by thunder, when it
comes sweeping over the plain, with Il
moan and Il rush, whirling and tossing
bushes, and even small trees about some
times, and darkening the mir with what
it tears from the earth.
/ had got fifty yards away before the
elephants could turn about. Only an in
stant, however, they stopped. They caught
sight of Inc again, and with loud, furious
snorting again they charged in IL mass.
am pretty swift runner us you all
know, but thf best of us seem to crawl
compared to the speed of an elephant for
the first few hundred yards. The elc-
plants, especially one or two Of the fore
most, were gaining on ne rapidly; the
stubborn grass whipped my legs severely,
ms ran, and was sore distress to me,
but the thick hide Of my pursuers was
proof against it. 4 little distance off be-
fore me, and to the left, was clump of
brushwood. l thought if could gain it,
would dc comparatively safe, as l could
find somewhere to hide. In II fcw mo-
ments reached it, and looking sharply
about, discovered little distance of,
half hidden by grass and brush, a hole in
the ground, which knew to he that of
the will boar. thought it would bc u
capital place TO hide, provided the boar
WAS out of his hole, and in n second l
was on my face crawling backwards into
it. had barely crawlcd in when / heard
the elephants thunder overhead, and Mt
the same instant / heard deep grunt
behind Inc, and Immediately aficr / was
shot out Of that hole, like bullet out of
gun, and | lay on the ground few
PAGES from it like dead man. l had
just consciousness enough to know that
had been gricvously wounded in one of
my hams by tho furious owner of the
underground excavation in which | found
shelter; that the boar had dartcd OIL in
the direction the elephants had taken then
| lost all knowledge of everything for
many hours.
When l recovered it WAS night. And
| soon heard shots in the distance, fired at
regular. intervals, and thinking, perhaps,
that they were my friends looking for me
l fired my gun, which was Immediately
answered 10y another. BY firing thus
every few minutes | succeeded in guiding
them to where lay, for found myself
unable To move.
When my friends found Inc, and were
acquainted with my condition, they lifted
nc on their shoulders and bore me to the
camp, where | lay unable To move for
about three weeks. Tie marks that say
ngc boar gave me have yet, and shall to
my dying day. | have spoken.
"Wcll, what became of the elephant
you shotf" asked Sclim, when Moto hnd
concluded his graphic and interesting
story.
"lIc was picked up next day, about
two hours distance from the place where
| had shot him. His trail was easily
known by his blood. Kiscsa made quito
sum of money from that elephant, rs
the tusks were ns large ms any that were
ever sccn."