The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-05-05

puhSd, o uiStilCI Hedr tHe upper Coll- go river. This country, which is in habited by Mobunga cannibals, had not been visited by white man be- fore. Having been successful in reach- ing a favorite ground for elephants, his guides left the hunter at midnight, returning in their canoe. After fioundering about for some time," he says, "I at length found an elephants path. The cane was trodden into the sodden ground, about four feet in width, and the path led straight across the middle of the bamboo patch. On either side of the path the cane grew so thickly that found it almost inn possible to penetrate A storm was raging. I distinctly heard elephants forcing their wary through the forest, in order evidently to reach some open space, where they might be safe from falling trees. In the intermittent fash es of lightning I occasionally got a glimpse of their great, ghostly forms approaching the cane patch; and, as the storm increased In fury, the sound of elephants stampeding, in all direc- tions through the thick mass of bam- boos impressed me in a most uncom- fortable manner Each moment fear ed being trampled. The f1oundering, heavy footsteps occasionally seemed to approach within few yards of me- and I distinctly heard the frightened squalls of baby elephants as they plunged and stumbled in the swamp.
 The storm ceased as suddenly q it came; and in the subsequent Hull there was constant dripping of water in the forest and the sound of falling branches. The elephants appeared to be standing motionless, and the air was once again filled with the eternal music of mosquitoes.
 with the first indication of dawn my spirits rose, and I carefully wiped the mud from my rifle with the ragged sleeve of my shirt. While it was still too dark to distinguish the surround ings, could plainly hear elephants stirring in all directions. Crawling some little distance along the sloppy path I suddenly distinguished the out line of an elephants head and back cutting sharp against the gray morn ing sky It was impossible in that light ito estimate distance. Creeping cautiously forward, was startled two or three times by a low, rumbling sound peculiar to elephants, and which is in some way connected with their digestion. The cane patch appeared to be perfect haven for refuge for ele- plants during the storm, for on every side there came audible evidences of their presence. When within what I judged to be twenty paces of my ele- plant, I was just able to discern his ears, Tapping spasmodfcally to beat off the mosquitoes and sandflies that lowered around him; and his trunk
 swinging listlesly among the trampled cane, as if in search of something edi- ble. Gradually I noticed certain restiveness, as though the animal was conscious of danger. Raising his trunk
 in the air, he sniffed in various direc- tions until his head was turned straight towards me. Realizing that
 my presence was discovered, and that there was not an instant to lose, took steady aim at his left shoulder and fired. The recoil of my eight-bore rife knocked me backwards and as I strug- gled in the cane -entangled slush en- veloped in smoke, was conscious of a deafening uproar. The rifle report echoed strangely through the forest, and the startled elephants charged
 madly forward in every direction, crashing through the dense foliage like giant locomotives.
 By the time I regained my feet and 1 had run aside to be clear from the
 smoke, I found my elephant slowly
 rising from the ground. By this time | I was within fifteen paces of the beast,
 and fully realized the necessity of fir
 ing a fatal shot. Trembling with ex- citement, I fired point-blank at the
 animals forehead, and, quickly stoop- I ing below the smoke, I caught sight of
 a jet of blood squirting from the wound
 while the ponderous beast slowly sank
 to the ground again--dead. Relocating
 in haste, took two snapshots at an
 elephant rushing past me, without
 other effect, however, than to stop his
 progress. He stood for moment gaz- ing at me and twitching his tail. Owing
 to wet dirt found difficulty in open l ing my rife, and in spite of frantic efforts I could not make the lever act.
 I can well recall the feeling of blank despair, when the wounded beast, with coiled trunk and ears erect, rushed l forward with a shrill scream.
 | T darted aside and fortunately fell lost to view in a. swamph hole, com- pletely covered with a mass of vines
 and branches. There lay breathless l for some moments, listening to the | flounderings of the wounded elephant.
 At length the noise died away and with broad daylight all was still again"