Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1905-01-27
HUNTED RY AN eLEPHANT.
A Thrilling Experience That Almost
Ended In Death.

Ended In Death.
A South African newspaper has q
thrilling account of two EngIishmen
who went out to hunt elephants They
were Captain Medlicott and Mr. Bar
lard. Accompanied by several natives.
they confronted a huge elephant "The
tusker trumpeted charge, and as the
rifles rang out--there was only his big
chest to aim az, for he had raised aloft
his trunk-he came full speed across
the clearing, q red mouthed, glaring
tusked, screaming, active mammoth.
Ballard made a rapid flank movement
to the right His objective was thorn
tree He and the elephant arrived
there together Down came the tree
in front Of the elephant Billiards. gun
was flung into the middle OF the clear
ing, and boughs and thorns pinned the
hunter TO the ground. The elephant
sweryed like a skater doing the outside
edge Umhlope, the chief native hunt
er, did not wait. With yell to Cap
tain Medlicott Of Run, boss, he made
a frantic leap for fig tree Then the
elephant charged Captain Aledlicott,
who saw three feet in front of him a
hole in the ground. He didn't wait TO
investigate, but dived 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.
Gle had landed in one Of the old
mealie pits Of a dlsused kraal, circular
excavations about FIVE feet high and
eight feet In diameter in which ma
lives empty their grain. Thinking Of
Ballard, the captain crept quietly up
to the hole and listened There was no
sound. lie raised himself cautiously
and pushed his head through the ORR
fee. The sight that met him froZe
hls blood. The elephant stood right
over him, both wicked eyes on the
watch, and as he ducked his head a
long, nervous, slnuous trunk followed
him into the pit seeking to drag him
from the hole like trout from the
stream lie began lodging the trunk
under Il, pass it, behind 1t, round the
edge Of the pit, into the center, now
crushed against the walls and missing
Il by 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 worn. The tusscr waved them tn
the air AMI then stamped on them.
about this time the native heard d
groan from Ballard. plnioned under
the thorn tree. Percelylng that II one
Of the white men should survive he
Umhlopc. would be called 90 account
for his inactivity. he slid quietly down
from his tree and, unseen by the ele-
plant, set of to the nearest kraal for
assistance. When help arrived some
time later, the tusker was gone Bal
lard was rescued from the bush, whore
he lay seriously injured, ana the next
move was toward the mealie pit Calls
Go come out brought no response. Then
two warriors descended aud soon a hui
man shape. with nothing European
about e but the boots, was passed TO
the surface The captain was caked
from head to ankle with red clay and
Precipitation The two Europeans were
holstcd on 90 improylsed stretchers Of
waffle and carried home. One was ex-
hausted after his three hours scrim-
maze ord The other was not quite sure
which bone ln bis body was the most
completely smashed