The Elbert County tribune., 1902-12-18

self that have, in my time. seen con-
siderable of them. In fact. II seemed
as If all the elephants in Africa were
assembled at that particular place.
and were bent on my destruction.
With trumpetings which were deaf
ening, they came rushing toward us
from every point of the compass.
Flight was impossible. for we were
entirely surrounded. nor was there a
distance of even ten feet between the
foremost ones, and as the leaders in
this magnificent charge neared us. of
course even this space was narrowed.
Il felt that my time had come. for.
unfortunately Umbolalla. in his haste
to reach me before | was crushed by
the wounded elephant, had dropped
the ammunition, and we were with
out arms other than my two army re-
yolvers and Umbolallas assegai. a
weapon without which no native Afri-
can can be induced to enter forest.
The bullets from the revolvers would
have proven as effective against the
tough hides of the elephants as from
boys sling-shot, and did not,
therefore. deem 1t worth an attempt
to use them, nor did II then occur 70
me, as | remember It now, that had
them with me.
"Then II was that n most remark
able thing occurred. You know what
will happen II you place a number of
moving bodies at an equal distance
from each other, upon the circumfer-
ence Of n circle and start them to-
ward the center? Well, that is Just
what happened In this case, Those
elephants in the lead reached the cir
cumference of the smaller circle at
precisely the same instant. and there
they stuck, utterly unable to approach
an inch nearer.
Not only had the terrific momen-
tum of their huge bodies served to
wedge them tightly together. but be-
hind the elephants comprising the
inner circle were scores and scores
OF others. each possessed by an un-
controllable desire to get at the some
thing which formed the center of the
circle of which they were the cir
cumference. and serving to hold fast
in their positions the elephants on the
inner circle.
Conceive. II you can. the picture
OF two men seated upon the carcass
of dead elephant. surrounded by a
living circle of other elephants, and
these in turn pushed and crowded and
wedged in still more tightly by hun
dreis of othersi The elephants on
tho inner circle might as well have
been trees. SO far as their powers of
locomotion we're concerned. With al
most overpowering trumpetings. they
swayed from side to side. lashing
each other with their trunks in their
rage. but absolutely unable to stir
either forward or backward. Al.
though had. but few moments la,-
fore. resigned myself TO speedy and
apparently Inevitable death. the hu-
NOR of the situation now struck me,
and l rolled from the carcass in q
violent paroxysm of laughter
ITO make long story short. II was
simple matter. considering the po.
sition in which we had the herd to
finish a few of the elephants nearest
us by well-directed shots from my re-
volvers. as n bullet penetrating the
eye would readily reach the brain. We
had killed perhaps half dozen in
this manner, the bodies retaining
their upright position in the circle
through the pressure OF others. when
umbolalla reminded me that the re
maining revolver cartridges might
better be saved, and that we could
kill the elephants as well with his
| asaegai. His plan was to climb upon