La Junta tribune., 1899-12-02
ELEPHANT HUNTING.
THRILLING ADVENTURES IN
FAR AFRICA.
Marrow Escape from Death between
Ivory Tusks - The Charge Of the
1hinocsroas Il Fierce and Deadly, but
Not Often Mads.
Especial Letter.)

When Mr.. Selous was hunting In
Africa, late In the seventies. twenty
elephants fell to his gun. In reading
the interesting story OF his wander
ings-for he can write as well as he
can shoot-the first impression made
on the mind OF the average man Is that
elephant-shooting Is not SO very difi-
cult after all. To come up with the
tropical heat to be borne. and thirst
to be endured. but the danger seems to
be a negligible quantity. This i'm
preston is. OF course. due to the skill
with which the attack Is planned. and
the best testimony to that skill Is the
fact that there is but one accident
which. however. was within shade OF
being fatal-to record.
Mr.. Selous and his companions had
come up with a herd OF wild elephants.
some of which they shot for the ivory
and for meat. He himself had account
ed for four. and had wounded the ffth
"a fine COW. when he perceived she
was about to charge. He was on
horseback. putting fresh cartridge
into his breechloader. when on she
came. Tho horse was tired out. and
before he could spur 1t to anything
faster than a walk to enable him to
get out OF the way, the elephant with
her tusks tossed horse and rider into
the air. When Mr.. Selous recovered
from the shock. the first thing he
recognized was "a very strong smell
OF elephants" which was by no means
strange, seeing that the great beast
was standing over him. pressing him
down to the ground with her huge
body, without doing him serious in
jury. while keeping him close prisoner.
b dint of struggling he got loose. and.
turning over, saw the hind legs Of the
beast behind him. and knew In mo-
ment what had happened. Seeing him
on the ground. when he was thrown
from the saddle. the elephant had
charged down on him. but had over
shot the mark. Lowering her head
with intent to reach him with her
tusks. she had Just missed him. and
driven them deep into the earth, drop
ping on her knees as she did So but
he was caught-nipped. SO to speak. in
the angle made by her body with the
ground, and he literally wriggled
backward to freedom and safety. The
horse received greater injuries than
It's master. for in the toss the ele-
plants tusks entered the flank. and
indicted q severe wound. which took a
couple of months to heal. Mr.. Selous
got OF with bruise over the eye. and
the loss Of the skin from one side OF
his chest. though he was covered with
blood from the wounded elephant.
and, Is might be expected, felt very
stiff and sore. This he says. was
ali that was the matter with me. and
q most wonderfully lucky escape
think It was" Most other people will
think SO too. Mr.. Neumann. however.
had still narrower escape. and his
suffering must have been far more in
tense, for he could see the approach
of the elephant. 80 that In his case
the element OF mental agony was su-
peradded to physical pain. Something
had gone wrong with the mechanism
of his rifle magazine, and as the ele-
phant came charging down a narrow
path in the forest. he threw himself
into the bushwood on one side. hoping
she would pass him by. and go on to
seek her calf.
In this he was disappointed; and
as he lay there. face upward, seconds
must have seemed hours. The ele-
plant planted one huge leg on each
side Of him. and then went to work
with her tusks He did not lose con-
~