The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-11
ELEPHANT HUNT IN SWAZILAND
How Gallant sportsman Lost His Cothev.
but saved His Life.
From the S,pd lila nd Time,

From the SDd dLdnd Times
Capt. Medlioott Of the Royal Irish Rifles
and MIR. Ballard, late OF Lumsdens Horse.
accompanied by several natives. Get ono;
from Embabane for the elephant bush ia
the east Of Mapungwana's They Succeeded
In getting right into the middle Of a troop,
and fired. upon which the elephants mads
OF, with trees sna piping and bushes cracking.
The hunters followed. led by Umhlope. ths
tracker. and at last confronted a huge ele-'
plant.
The tusker trumpeted charge and tho
rifles rang out-there was only his big chest
TO aim at for he raised aloft his trunk--he
came full speed across the clearing. a red.
mouthed. glarins. tusked. screaming. active
mammoth. Mr.. Ballard made rapid hank
movement to the right: his objective was
the thorn tree; he and the elephant arrived
there together. Down came the tree In front,
OF the elephant. Billiards. gun was flung in
Che middle OF the clea ing. and bouehs and
thorns pinned the hunter to the Ground
The elephant swerved like a skater doing
the outside edge. Umhiope. the traoksr did
not wait. With yell to Capt. Medlicott Of
Run. bossl" he n ade q frantic leap for tho
6g tree which his trained eye had located
as the best harbor Of refuge. Then the ele-
plant charged Capt. Medlicott, who saw
three feet In front Of him a hole In the ground.
He didn't wait to investigate but with the
agility Of a hunted rabbit. and the thunder
Of the elephantine charge in his ears. he dived
feet first down the aperture. His gun. which
he had held aloft. crossed the hole. and re-
NAMED outside. almost dislocatinR mis- arm
with the jerk For moment he was 80 dased
that he didn't know where he was. but few
seconds suficed to reassure him. He had
landed in one OF the old mealie pits Of dis
used kraal. those circular excavations about
Ave feet high and eight feet in diameter in
which natives empty their grain through
the little hole, sufflcient for an adult TO psss'
through. that connects with the surface.
Thinking Of Mr.. Ballard. the Captain
crept quietly up TO the hole and listened.
No! no sound-he raised himself cautiously
and pushed his head through the orlhoe.
The sight that met his eyes froze his blood.
The elephant stood right over him. both
wicked eyes on the watch. and as he duoked
his head q long. nervous, sinuous trunk fol-
lowed him into the pit-a horrible death
to be dragged from the hole Ike trout from
the stream and crushed to Q pulp under the
huge pedal extremitiss tof the maJnmothi
He began dodgins the trunk-under e. psst
1t. behind it. round the edge Of the pit. into
the centre. now crvshed against the walls.
and missing It by hair, round, and round.
and round. until II almost seemed best to
put an end to all by one final. desperate.
savage onslaught on the thing that pursued
him.
Umhlope watched Q strange soene. The
elephant, with . scream Of triumph, with
drew his trunk. and waved aloft remnant
Of human clothing-a khaki coat. The Cap
tain had lost his coat. Casting 1t on the
ground. the huge animal danced with rage
on this outer she'll OF the human form. and.
having pounded 1t into the now dusty earth.
he resumed his search. The next event n
after a prolonged underground search. was
the abstraction Of n shirt, which hislordship
tore into shreds and cast to tho four Winds
Of heaven. This was soon followed by a.
pair Of trousers. and these. after being for q.
moment or two used to flick the flies of ais
aristocratic back and loins. were ripped
to pieces and followed in the wake OF tho
shirt: and the hunt was resumed.
Next time it will be the Katlteni himself.
thought Umhlope. when at that moment
he heard q srosn. and looking TO his RICH D.
he saw slight movement in the fallen thorn
tree branches. 30 the other mulunop was no q
dead after all. but only stunned. He mus0
get help. otherwise. should one Of them sur
vive. he would have to account for his tnac~
.ion. re did not hesitate. but slid quietly
down that part Of the stem out Of sight Of
the lord In possession. ,crept silently into the
jungle. and made all haste to the nearesr
kraal. .
When he got back with help. Mr. Ballard
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 adventurous
warriors descended. and soon human shape.
with nothing European about 1t but tho
boots. was passed to the surface. CakedR
from head to ankle with red clay and con-
sealed with perspiration. who would have
identified In the inert form the agile figure
that three hours previously. like Mephis-s
topheles and his trapdoor. had descende6
to the depths beow. i
As the two Europeans were hoisted on tS'
quickly improvised stretchers OF wattlesI
the one exhausted after three hours scrim -
mage with an elephants trunk In q chamber
by 5. and the other not quite sure which bone
In his body vas the most completely smashed
up. MAlekelala. the induna. turned TO his
people and said: Surely 1t must have been
that witch Umkwekwl, who played the trick
on the chiefs-wse 1t not In this old garden
that he caught Manila and mashed him into
red meat only year ago! This Is his fs.
vorlte waiting place. But one day he wiz,
catch him and then It will be nttins thss
we cut OF his nose and hand 1t TO the chlsS
with the red skin. that he may eat Of thas'
which has tickled him this morning"