Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-12-08
HUNTED BY AN ELEPHANT.
A THRILLING Experience That Amos,
Ended In Death,

A South African newspaper has n
thrilling account of two Engllshmen
who went out 10 hunt elephants, They
were Captain Medlico,t AMI n Mr., Bal
lard, Accompanied by several natives,
they confronted n huge elephant, THE
tusker trumpetei charge aud ms the
rifles rang o%ut-thcre was only his biz
chest To aim at. FOR he had raised aloft
his trunk he came full speed across
the clearing, a red mouthcd, glaring
tuskcd, screaming, active mammoth
Ballard made n rapid flank movement
70 the right, His objective was u thorn
tree. He aud the elephant arrived
there together. Down came the tree
In front of the elephant. Billiards. gun
was flung into the middle OF the clear
hunter 10 the ground, The elephant
sweryed like n skater doing the outside
edge. Umhlope. the chief native hunt.
er, did not wait. With a yell TO Cap.
tain Medlicott of Run, boss he made
n frantic leap for n fig tree. Then the
elephant charged Captain Medlicott,
who saw three feet In front OF him a
hole In the ground, lie didn't wait to
Investigate. but diyed feet first down
the hole, His gun, which he had held
aloft. crossed the hole and remained
outside. almost dislocating his arm
with the jerk.
HE had landed In n OF the old
mealie pits of a disused kraal. circular
excavations about FIVE feet high and
eight feet in diameter I'm which ma.
tives empty their grain. Thinking of
Ballard, the captain crept quietly up
to the hole and listened. There was no
sound. He raised himself cautiously
and pushed his head through the ORR
flee. The sight that met him froze
his blood. The elephant stood right
over him. both wicked eyes on the
watch, and ms he ducked his head Il
long, nervous. sinuous trunk followed
him into the pit, seeking to drag him
from the hole like a trout from the
stream, He began lodging the trunk
under ii, pass it, behind ii, round tue
edge of the pit, into the center, nov
crushed against the walls and missing
it by n hair, round and round and
round to the point of exhaustion. Umh-
lopc. the native tracker, from his
point of vantage in the tree saw the
elephant drag forth in triumph every
article of clothing the luckless captain
had worm The tusker waved them In
the air and then stamped ON them,
About this time the native heard n
groan from Ballard, pinioned under
the thorn tree. perceiying that II one
of the white men should survive he.
Umhlope. would be called to account
for his inactivity. he slid quietly down
from his tree and, unseen by the ele-
plant, set off TO the nearest kraal for
assistance. When help arrived some
time later, the tusker was gone. Bal
lard was rescued from the bush, where
he lay seriously injured, and the next
move was toward the mealie pit. Calls
to come out brought no response. Then
two warriors descended and soon a hu,
man shape. with nothing European
about it but the boots. was passed ia
the surface. The captain was caked
from head to ankle with red clay and
perspiration. The two Europeans were
hoisted on to improvised stretchers OF
waffle and carried home, One was *
hausted after his three hours scrim.
mage and the other was not quite sure
which bone in his body was the most
completely smashed"