The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-11-12
Shooting Elephants

Writing of the veteran officer, General
], Michael. g. =. H. of tho Madras star
Corps who was In his time a noted ele-
phaBt shot, correspondent OF the Ma
aras Mail states that one OF Michaefs
earliest exploits inspired his native at
tsndsnis with q wonderful amount OF
confidence in him as well II might lie
got among o herd OF elephants IN very
long grass. and for some time could
not get a shot. At last he got up 10
one, and, with second gun dropped two
more elephants before they had time to
make off.
had heard IL said Of Michael that he
was i'm the habit OF going om with three.
double -barreled guns, and had frequently
got nve elephants In hve shots, but could
never get sixth. a. he always made II
rule To keep one barrel In reserve. | had
an opportunity of asking him II that was
true. | cannot recollect what he said
about having performed this feat more
than once. but he told how he Just missed
getting the sixth elephant out Of herd
through a mistake lie got up 10 "A herd
i'm a Jungle and commenced operations on
a tusker that was standing by a clump
OF bamboo.
The smoke hung and he could not see
the elump of bamboo he saw tusker
which he presumed was the one he had
just fired az, so promptly dropped H. He
had got three more out Of the herd, aud
Was reduced To his last barrel, when an
other elephant q tusker, l think, gave
him an easy chance, which hs could
hardly have missed, but he could not
break the rule. so let him go. ON re-
turning TO the olump of bamboos hs
founa TWO tuskers dead, making FIVE
elephants in all, and regretted hs had
not broken his rule for once. Think
OF three brace OF elephants for a
days bag
The following Is the feat In the reeol-
lection of which I happen 10 know the
general himself hnds most satisfaction,
because he considers IL showed thorough
knowlsdge of the game, one day he
was out botaBizing with friend, and
was unaTmed. They heard the els-
phsnts In a sholsh below aud Michael
sent back for his rifles. on getting down
into the -holsh Michael found his quarry
was two tuskers, evidently travelling one
behind the other. lie intercepted them
aud had covered the leader and was just
going to fire when il flashed through his
brain that the second wauld escape him
greedy man. lie accordingly dropped
the hindmost elephant FIRST, and, ss he
anticipated, the leader wheeled around,
got blocked on by his prostrsts COM
psBion, and gave Michael Time 10 lay him
out beside him-the two fell with their
tusks together General Michael shot
the majority of his hundred odd ele-
plants with fourteen-bors, which In
the days of muzzie- leaders. was the or
dmsry gun, just az the twelvs-bors Is
now.
The maximum charge In the gauge of
his powder flask wss nYe draohms but
when he was loading for elpehants he
| used 10 add little mere. Compare this
| with the metal and charges used for big
1 game now rms EuCCssS- -trr-tftt s-fettf--
| ticular form OF sport was due as much 10
| a perfect knowledge OF the game an "a
| splendid shooting Ills directions for
| nndinE the way To the brain Of the ele-
| phant were ss follows:
4 "Imagins ramrod (there were ram
1 rods in those days. passed from earhols
4 TO earhole through the elephants head
l aud almost bisecting it vertically. M
| Whatever position you may be- aim foI
| this point of dissection" 1 have heard
| il said OF Michael that he used to 10
| concentrate his thought on this one imsg
| mary point that he, in sort of way
| lost sight OF everything else. 1 presume
| that il gees without saying thai N yot
| fnd yourself In such q position that your
| gun cannot penetrsts te the desiref
| point you must not fire at all. In the old
| DAYS wild elephants were locked upon al
| something to be got rid OF, and the gov
| srnment gave rewards for shooting then
Il think IL was sixty rupees for a tuskel
and the tusks were the property Of th'
shooter.