The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-07-14

tnsks levelled ut me like bayonets, came
] my friend the elephant, who had been
OH the watch for me all the time !
"Whether should have run, or stood
my ground, and how should have fured
Ill either case, can never be known now
| for just ut that moment my foot slipped,
and down L came close to the tree. The
| next moment there was smash rs if twO
trains had run into each other, and !
made sure that was knocked into n
hundred pieces at least, and that it was
all over
But L soon became aware that l was
still alive and sound, while shrill,
frightened cry overhead told me that it
was the elephant vi, 0 had got the worst
Of tho bargain this time. I scrambled
to my feet, gingerly enough, for the
brnte's great fore-legs were stamping
and pounding like steam hammers with
i'll arms length of me, and there l saw
II sight which, scared rs was, made me
laugh till l could hardly stand.
81 had fallen just in time to escape
the blow of the elephants tusks, which
had stuck themselves so deep into the
tree that he couldn't pull them out again;
and there he was, hard and fast, like a
ship run aground The animals look
of disgust and bewilderment Mt finding
himself i'll such Il fix was rs good as Il
play to behold; but just then l was in
no hllmor to stop md admire it, for i
knew TINT he might possibly break loose
yet, and that if he did it would be all
up with met,
"My first impulse was to take to my
heels ut once but the next moment l
thought better of it, and decided to set
tie MIR. Elephant instead. l picked up
and reloaded my gun(which had luckily
escaped his notice, or he'd have trampled
it to bits), and scrambling up into the
tree again, sent bullet into his forehead
which did its business, and left him
standing upright i'll II very statucsquc ut
titude indeed.
"And now came the question : Should
/ keep the secret Of my adventure or not
On the one hand, / Ind undoubtedly at
tanned my ambition of shooting III ole
phant, but, on the other, tho way in
which it had been done would be GER
tain to set the tongues Of our mess wag-
ging more numerically than ever.
But the decision was not left to me.
[ was still standing beside my game, de-
'eolif5 hlito I" wv "IlSll
heard a roar of laughter behind ne that
made the whole forest echo again, and
there stood our old major, apparently
enjoying the scene.
'.Indced, my boy" said lie, you've
fairly beaten us all this time Instead
of troubling to catch the beast you've
made him catch himself; and very neatly
he's done it,"
"Of course there was no hope of keep
ing my secret after that; so tho major
ana l trampod back to the station,
heyinnino tn end tory from
"The first thing to he done, however,
was to send off lot of our negroes to
cut the elephants tusk out of the tree,
and bring them back as trophy. The
colonel had them stuck up in the mess
room, where they served rs M illustra-
tion to the story of my adventure, which
was told with unboundcd applause every
time stranger happened to dine with
us. For more than year after that ON
fellows never called me anything but
'Thc Grand Duke of 1uscany,' which
always struck me rs tho poorest joke !
ever heard in my life. And that was
the end of my elephant hunt.