The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-12

phant to avoid.s He swung the nook
with all his might he landed double
handed blow squarely in the center OF
the brute's forehead, between the eyes.
The steel prong was two inches long anu
it sank through the thick hide. Inc
mufffed blow sounded loudly through
the tent. The maddened brute trulh-
peted with pain and charged Beatty'
who sprang back and lodged oenlno the
big center pole, nearly a 1901 thich-
The elephant grabbed the pole with MS
trunk and gave it a jerk that threw its
ground end fifteen feet away and gel
all the other tent poles rocking back and
forth like a forest in storm. The
next moment the big brute, shaking
with excitement and trumpeting his
rage, was upon Beatty, who had stopped
and was aiming another blow with his
terrible hook. The elephant lowered
his head struck Beatty on the chest ana
bore him TO the ground.
Beatty's nerve saved his life. He
dropped the hook as he fell and threw
both arms around the long tusks and
managed to fall on his knees with
his heels behind him. 1t was not by
accident that he fell in that position,
as Beatty explained later. 1t was only
the fraction of a second from the time
the elephant struck him till Beatty was
down, but he is as wiry as a wild cat,
and in that moment he had time 10
throw his arms around the tusks and
put his feet behind him. Had he fallen
on his back the lower half Of his body
would have been beneath the elephants
trunk and the life would have been
crushed out of him against the ground.
The elephant worked furiously TO i'm
pale Beatty OF his tusks. With his
head doubled down, he showed his tusks
against the ground, but Beatty Yves be-
tween the tuSks. The maddened brute
threw his head up and lunged il down
again with such force that the ground
was furrowed by his tusks. Again and
again the elephant charged forward,
ploughing up the ground and trying 70
shake Beatty loose, that he might gore
him.
= The dust was stirred up in clouds, the
other twelve elephants were believing
and excitedly tugging and rafting az
their chains, the Gagged animals were
screaming and roaring, and the circus
men outside, warned by the believing
and the rocking tent poles, rushed in
from all directions. While the ele-
plant was trying to gore Beatty Mr..
Chambers had got TO him and was rain
ing blows on his TANKS, each blow driv-
ing a two-inch steel prong through the
hide. Tim Hagan, keeper of the ele-
plant Ranses, was beating the animals
fore shoulder with another hook. Mad
dened by pain, old Dick tossed Beatty
again with desperate fling of his head,
swung around at Hagan and with
blow Of his trunk tumbled him twenty
feet away Then the big brute stood
as if making up his mind who or what
to charge next.
Beatty had scrambled to his feet. He
ran to Babe" q big female elephant,
45 years old and as docile as a lamb.
He hurriedly threw the chain from
Babes front foot and led her in a trot
TO the side of Dick, who stood yet with
his head down, snorting with anger.
Babe had tackled old Dick once before
when he was on a tantrum and whipped
him soundly. Dick was afraid of her.
Babe twisted the end of her trunk
around one Of old Dicks tusks and that
ended the trouble. He allowed Beatty
and Chambers on one side and Babe on
the other, to lead him 10 his stake, and
stood snorting while he was being
chained.
Then the men crowded around Beat
ty with sober faces to talk about his
narrow escape. Beatty was covered
with mud from head to foot. his derby
hat was mashed fiat ten feet away. He
had been within a hairs breadth of q
horrible death, but the color had not
even left his face and he was not ner-
vous. He stood with folded arms and
talked seriously about it.