The Penn's Grove record., 1884-03-08

within easy shooting distance. One haC
enormously large tusks, and stood fac,
ing me with his head well up, 50 that tC
reach his brain my bullet would need tC
have penetrated quite two feet of trunk,
The other, with much smaller tusks.
stood bToadside on, his head screened
by the bamboos. Resting one knee, and
with the mu1zle Of the express against
the tree, l waited, hoping the monster
would lower his head, bat when he
shifted bis position it was merely to lift
his heada and trunk still higher in search
of succulent bamb0os. Several minutes
passed IN this way, during which my
NERVES recovered themselves. just then
the smaller tusker backed a couple OF
steps and offered me the temple shot.
| deliberately covered him, bearing IN
my mind all the coaching | had formerly
received from elephant slayers-a line
drawn from ear to eye as a base, from
the centre of which is raised a line at
right angles and six inches high. BY
Joining the ends of the base with this
apex a small imaginary triangle is Storm
ed, within which the bullet must be
planted. | was in no hurry, felt quite
cool, and aimed at the centre of the
fatal triangle. Bang! went the rifle.
Instantly both elephants reared, curling
their trunks. For Il few seconds thus
they faced us, then turned and fled.
Either l had no chance of using them
with effect or it did not occur to me
that | had a second barrel, besides a
spare gun resting on the tree. | confess
| was much astonished at the little
effect of my first fine. 1t was afterward
found that the bullet had buried itself
in a mass Of bone just above the brain.
We could see no blood trail, but the
track left behind their Impetuous rush
was easily followed. After keeping to-
gether for several hundred yards they
separated. One track was straight,
and showed the beast was rushing head
long and smashing down trees and all
before it. We took up this track,
rightly thinking it was that of the
wounded animal. 1t was now $50. For
four hours, and as fast as We could walk,
we followed the track, when the game
was again in view. The wounded ami
NAL left the bamboo jungles, and sought
the thickest covert. We followed, and
came on him time after time, but only
his huge stern presented itself. Finding
he was followed, lie made for the koo-
mera. This is a secondary growth that
comes up after the forest has once been
cleared for cultivation, and consists of
thorns, bamboo, and creepers. Through
this entangled the elephant tore
easy thing to follow in his track, but
next to impossible to penetrate in any
other direction. When the elephant
stopped, we stopped, hoping always that
a shot might be obtained. AT last he
made a longer halt than usual. The re-
suit of his deliberations was clearly a
determination to be rid of his pursuers,
as he suddenly turned round, and faced
us at 80 yards. Instinctively L felt he.
meant to charge. | had changed the
express for the smooth-bore, which is
better adapted for quick shooting, On
came the brute in fall career. 1t is i'm
possible for me to analyze my state Of
mind at that moment. The uppermost
feeling was not that l had to kill the
beast but that had to stop the charge.
1t was well | did not think of running,
for that would have been fatal. l re-
served fire till he seemed quite near, and
then blazed into the centre of his fore
head. The shot made him turn his head
for an instant; but, to my horror, he
still came on, and, when within five
PAGES, he received my second shot on
the right temple, two inches above the
eye. | then turned and fed down the
track. In supreme moments of peril
we can often maintain our presence of
mind. Luckily, it was so in this case,
and the slipping in of two fresh car
tridges was the work of a few seconds.
[ then faced round, and to my unspeak-
able relief the Infatuated beast was no
longer charging. There he lay dead in
his tracks with II ounces of lead lodged
in his brain. He had fallen nOiselessly,
his tusks buried deep in the ground.
The reaction now set in, and l felt my
legs trembling, the result of high ner-
you tension during the brief bat fierce
encounter. At the beginning of the
charge my Kuraba frien(s had swaImed
up a tree, and they now called out not
to go near the beast as he might be
~feigning. We cautiously approached,
and soon found the noble animal was
robbed of all his teTTors and lay still in
death. | vas now possessed of a feel
ing of intense JOY. 1t was 2 O'Clock,
and having eaten nothing since day
break, the first thing to think of was
lunch. We then cut off the end of the
tail and made for home. Kurabas are
guided through the forest by instinct,
and we struck out on a Decline, reach
ing the point where the horse was left
within two hours.