Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-06
HEAD.

trough he knelt down to facilitate his operations. On came the snappi2g tip like great open-mouthed snake; it closed upon my hat, which vanished. Again 1t was thrust down, and a scream of rage was beloved through it within four inches of my head. Now it seemed to elongate itself. Oh, heavens! now it had me by the hair, which, luckily for myself, was not vory long. Then 1t was my turn to scream, for next instant half square inch of hair was dragged from my scalp by tho roots. l was be- ing plucked alive, as I have seen cruel Kaffir kitchen boys pluck a fowl. Tho elephant, however, disappointed with the moderate results, changed his tao tics. He wound his trunk around th0 fallen tree and lifted it. It stirred, f,,,; fortunately the broken branches embedded in the sponry soil, and some roots which still held, prevented 1t from being turned over, tho:,"l, Lo lifted it so much that had it occurred to him ho could easily have tished me out with his trunk. Again he hoist"d with all his mighty strength, and l saw that tho tree was coming and roared aloud for help. Some shots were fired close by in answer, but if they hit tho bull their only effect was to stir his energies to more active life. In another few sec onds my shelter would be torn away and should be done for. A cold per spiration burst over me as I realized that I was lost. Then of q sudden TO- membered that had pistol in my belt which I often used for dispatching wounded game. It was loaded and capped. By this time the treo was lifted SO much that could easily got my hand down to my middle and draw the pistol from it's case. I drew and cooked 1t. See, tho treo was coming, and thcre, within threo feet of my head, was tho great brown trunk of the elephant. I placed the muzzlo of the pistol within an inch of it and fired. The result was instantaneous. Down sunk the tree again, giving one of my legs q consider able squeeze, and next instant heard a crashing sound. The elephant had bolted.
 By this time, between fright and struggling, I was pretty well done. 1 can not remember how got from under the fallen tree, or indeed any thing, un- til I found myself sitting on the ground drinking some peach brandy from a flask, and old 1ndaba-zimbi opposite to mo holding his white looks sagely, while he fired off moral retiec- tions on the narrowness of my escape, and my unwisdom in not having taken his advice to go on foot. That reminded me of my horse-I got up and went to look at it. It was quite dead, the blow of the elephants trunk had fallen on the saddle, breaking the framework and rendering it useless. I reflected that in another two seconds it would have fall en on me. called to Indaba-zimbi and asked which way the elephants had gone.
 "There!" he said, pointing down the
 gully, "and we had better go after them,
 Macumazahn. We have had the bad
 luck, now for tho good.'
 There was philosophy in this, though,
 to tell the truth, did not feel particu.
 larly keen on elephants at the moment
 I seemed to have had enough of them
 However, it would never do to show the
 white feather before the boys, so as
 scented with much outward readiness
 and we started, 1 on the second horse
 and tho others on foot. When we had
 travelled for tho best part of an houl
 down the valley all of sudden we came upon the whole herd, which mum. bered a little mora than eighty. Just in front of them the bush was so thick that they seemed to hesitate about cn tering it. and the sides of tho valley were so rocky and steep at this point : that they could not climb them.
 They saw us at the same moment at we saw them, and inwardly was filled with fears lest they should take 1t int< their heads to charge back up the gully , But they did not; trumpeting aloud ,, they rushed at the thick bush whiol went down before them like corn before 6 sickle. do not think that in all my To be contlnue.