The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-03
A GREAT ELEPHANT SHOT.
[From the London Globe.l

Writing of the veteran officer, Gen
J. Michael, c. S. L, of the Madras staff
corps, who was in his time a noted ele-
plant shot a correspondent of THE
Madras Mali states that one of Mi
chaeI'searliest exploits inspired his ma
tive attendants with a wonderful
amount of confidence in him, as well it
might. He got among herd OF ele-
plants in very long grass, and for some
time could not get shot At last he
got up to one, and, dropping it dead,
jumped onto the body, and with a sec
ond gun dropped two more elephants
before they had time to make off. had
heard it said of Michael that he was
in the habit of going out with three
double barrelled guns, and had fire.
quentIy got five elephants in five shots,
but could never get a sixth, as he al
ways made it a rule to keep one barrel
in reserve. I had an opportunity ~
asking him if this were true. I cannot
recollect what he said about having
performed this feat more than once
but he told me how he just missed get
ting a sixth elephant out of a herd
through a mistake. He got up to a
herd in jungle and commenced opera
tions on a tusker that was standing by
q clump of bamboo. The smoke hung
and he could not see what happened,
but on the other side of the clumD of
bamboo he saw a tusker, which he pre-
su1ned was the one he had just fired at.
so promptly dropped it. He had got
three more out of the herd, and was
reduced to his last barrel, when anoth-
er elephant, a tusker, think, gave him
a very easy chance, which he could
hardly have missed, but he would not
break his rule. so let him go. On re-
turning to the clump of bamboos he
found two tuskers dead, making five ell
ephants in all, and regretted he had not
broken his rule for once Think of
three brace of elephants for days
bagi
The following is the feat in the recol-
lection of which I happen to know the
general himself finds most satisfaction
because he considers it showed
thorough knowledge of the game: One
day he was out botanizing with a
friend, and was unarmed. They heard
elephants in a shOlah below and Mi
cIael sent back for his rifles. On get
ting down into the sholah Michael
IDENTIFY travelling one behind the other.
He intercepted them and had covered
the leader and was just going to fire
when it flashed through his brain that
the second would escape hin-greedy
man! He accordingly dropped the hin
dermost elephant first, and, as he an
ticipated. the leader wheeled round,
got blocked by his PROSTATE companion,
and gave Michael time to lay him out
beside him-the two fell with their
majority of his hundred and add eIe-
plants with a 14-bore, which in the
days of muzzle leaders was the ordf-
nary gun, just as a 12-bore is now. The
maximum charge in the gauge of his
powder flask was five drains, but when
he was loading for elephants he used to
add a little more. Compare this with
the metal and charges used for big
game nOWt His success in this partfc-
ular form of sport was due quite as
much to a perfect knowledge of the
game as to splendid shooting. His di-
reetions for finding the way to the
brain of an elephant We're as follows:
Imagine a ramrod (there were ram
rods in those days. passed from ear
hole to earhole through the elephants
head and another bisecting it vertical
ly; in whatever position you may be,
aim for this point of dissection I have
heard it said of Michael that he used to
so concentrated his thought on this one
imaginary point that he, in a sort of
way. lost sight of everything else.
presume that it goes without saying
that if you find yourself in such a posi-
ton that your gun cannot penetrate to
the desired point you must not fire at
all. In the old days wild elephants
were looked upon as things to be got
rid of, and government gave rewards
for shooting them-I think it was so
rupees for a COW and 90 rupees for a
tusker-and the tusks were the proper
~ of the shooter.