The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-16
THE SIXTH SHOT.
ltkl you employ the word in Eng
IN that is. in the sense in which


Q, said the major. Il don't shoot
isnd. have never been able to regard
the shooting of grouse. pheasants and
Game of that sort as a sport at all. The
mere exercise Of skill is not enough for
me. l must Ia e danger IN the alb
| sence Of that, 1 fail 70 see anything in
teresting in any of the so-caIled field
sports. Danger" pursued the major
With enthusiasm. To be in imminent
peril of ones hfei All. that is the true.
The only genuine happiness.
The pursuit OF danger OF all kinds
/ fas been a passion with me- Cali il a
| weakness II you will admit that on
occasion II has led TO awkward situa-
| lions; on active service for instance.
when have been intrusted with the
carrying out of plans which were based
N presumption of normal caution in
[ the officer chiefly responsible. II was
I this that led TO my retirement; for |
[ concluded at last that ehessboard war
I was not the business for me-"
/ What was the narrowest shave YOU
> ever had. major?" inquired somebody
1t is hard, replied the major. with
an air of considering the question care
F: fully, ito say. But" he added after a
sight pause, Il can easily name the
occasion on which ! remained I'm po-
sition of extreme peril for the longest
time. II you like / viii tell you bout
! il"
There were murmurs OF appreciation,
and Mr.. Harkins cordially urged the
/, araJor to whirl ii and foot his horn.
1t was" said the old gentleman.
after preparatory clearing OF his
throat. during what l may call a semi
c!hclal tour Of the Malay states that I
took about fourteen years ago. In the
intervals of my. business at the various
courts had a good deal OF shooting of
the kind that | consider worth while:
Tor several times I stayed in towns
Where II was quite common thing for
tigers TO break into the houses at night
and l remember once. at Johore. wax
ing up 10 find a black panther licking
away at my shaving cream on the
dressing table. ] killed him with my
revolver without getting out of bed,
eut it was 2 good quarter of an hour
before could get to sleep again These
u lngs upset one
But / was going TO tell you-the adj
venture l speak of occurred in a mart
Of the country about four days ride
Inland from Malacca. I have seen a
bood deal of jungle. and a good many
hunting grounds; but l never met with
any forest growth so dense and inn
pcnetrable as that was nor found any
Ilace stocked with such an extraOrdi-
Eary profusion CT game, big and little
What 1 was going to tell you hap
Iened one evening when l had-mOst
oolishly-strayed off alone from my
camp along the side of the stream on
the banks of which it was pitched. The
only weapon l haG was my revolver in |
my belt. | went a considerable dis /
lance, and in about half an hour I came /
10 spot where the jungue ran down |
To within fifty yards of the water. II ]
was while my back was turned to the |
uense mass of trees and vegetation |
that stretched intermina ply away east |
ward that | heard the muffied srunt |
sound in the jungle. AS l turned round |
there was crash of trampled vegeta- J
ton, and in the moonlight 1 saw the I
read OF the most monstrous elephant I /
e'er met with peering out with wicked |
eyes from a thicket of canes
4 am obliged to admit that I gave /
start. The beast looked dangerous. /
II was regarding me fixedly and fierce |
", and snorting in a subdued, but de- |
c-dediy unpleasant wav. 7 started. I /
say; but | assure you l absolutely /
leaped backward when, with a sudden !
lCrch the elephant stepped out Of the /
covert and advanced toward me. trum- /
letting with fury
Why did l jump back? I will tell |
GU The elephant had two heads"
"What! exclaimed several voices
Two heads" said the ma ior. slowly /
and emphatically. Two pairs of Shout
Hers and two sets Of forefeet. Just be- 4
hind his shoulders the body became /
normal and the headquarters were SIM 1
Oly those of a huge elephant some If +
teen feet high You hear of such things
every day among smaller animals. and 1
even in our own species il occurs from 4
time TO time. But I've never known /
another case of this freak Of nature be-
ing accompanied by complete, and even /
q onormal, development of ali parts of /
the composite animal.
however. / hadn't time to think of l
thdt then Lifting its trunks with two
deafening bellows, the awful creature
(harged me. | scarcely had time TO
craw my revolver before it was upon
me. fired rather wildly. I'm afraid
ihd evidently did no damage The next
instant l was seized bv one Of the
trunks and whirled high in the air.
Il expected to be dashed to pieces
that instant But no: I had not al
lowed for the development of seIf-re-
and curiosity in two brains. both
naturally of the first order of animal
and both sharpened by con-
slant association with one another. I I
was not hurled to the ground. I was
held aloft by one trunk, while the other
took the revolver from my hand. and !
brought it up to the corresponding pair
or eyes for examination. Then I was
set quietly down. and a huge foot was
placed upon me. quite gently, while the
revolver was passed from trunk 10 i
trunk and closely scrutinized, both the
heads keeping up meanwhile a series
OF significant grunts which l have no /
doubt at all personally were OF the ma
ture of language. The one trunk-the L
left one, / remember-took the weapon.
adjusted it clumsily between the thumb /
ana hand. as l may call them and dis
it, and then the other trunk +
eagerly stretched out to take IT, and L
TO fire IL OFF in turn This
took some time to happen. I dare say
each trunk was folding with the re-
volver for ten minutes before ii man
aged TO fire it. All that time / lay on
my back with a huge foot planted
lightly on my abdomen. I did not feel
frightened; but / was very uncomfort-
able. My captor continued to play with
the revolver. 1t was like a child with :
a new toy Two more shots were fired
and then began a strange scene.
furious alteration broke out be-
tween the two heads, evidently with