The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-08-15

in the hut.
Out she came through the hole like a
periwinkle on the point of pin, still
wrapper up in her blanket, and her
skinny legs and arms stretched to the
four points of the compass. and as she
did so gave the most alarming screech.
I really don't know who was the
most frightened, she or ], or tie ele-
phant.
At any rate, the last was consider
ably startled; he had been fishing for
mealies-the old woman was a mere
accident, and one that greatly discom-
posed his nerves.
He gave sort of trumpet, and threw
her away from him right into the
crown Of low mimosa tree, where she
stuck, shrieking like q metropolitan
engine.
The old bull lifted his tail, and flap
ping his great ears. prepared for flight.
put up my eight-bore, and aiming
hastily at the point of his shoulder
(for he was broadside ON, l fired.
The report rang out like thunder.
making a thousand echoes in the quiet
hills.
saw him 20 down ali Of a heap, as
though he were stone dead.
Then, alas! whether it was the kick
of the heavy rife or the excited bump
of that idiot Gobo, or both together, or
merely an unhappy coincidence. do
not know, but the rotten beam broke,
and I went down. too, landing fiat at
the foot of the tree upon a certain
humble portion of the human frame.
The shock was so severe that 1 felt
as though all my teeth We're flying
through the roof of my mouth, but al
though I sat slightly stunned for few
seconds, luckily for me I fell light, and
was not in any way injured.
Meanwhile the elephant began to
scream with fear and fury, and at
tracted by his cries, the other two
came charging up.
felt for my rifle; it was not there.
Then remembered that had rested
it on a fork of the bough in order to
fire, and doubtless there it remained.
My position now was very unpleas-
ant.
I did not dare to try and climb the
tree again, which, shaken as was,
would have been task of some diff
ficulty. because the elephants would
certainly see me, and Gobo. who clung
to bough, was still aloft with tie
other rifle.
could not run, because there was
no shelter near.
Under these circumstances l did the
only thing feasible-clambered round
the trunk as softly as possible, and
keeping one eye on the elephants, whls-
pered to Gobo to bring down the rlfe'
and awaited the development Of the
situation.
I knew that if the elephants did not
see me. which, luckily, they were too
engaged to do, they would not smell
me, for I was up wind.
Gobo. however, either did not, or,
preferring the safety of the tree, would
not hear me.
He said the former. but I believed
the latter, for I knew that he was not
enough of a sportsman to really enjoy
shooting elephants by moonlight IN the
open.
So there I was behind my tree. dis
mayed, unarmed but highly interested,
for l was witnessing remarkable
performance.
When the other two bulls arrived, the
wounded elephant on the ground
ceased to scream, but began to make
n low moaning noise and gently touch
the wound near his shoulder, from
which the blood was literally spoutlng
out.
The other two seemed to understand;
Mt any rate, they did this: kneehne
down on either side, they got thelr
trunks and tusks underneath him. and,
aided by his own efforts, with one
great lift got him on his feet.
Then leaning against I'm on either
side to support him, they marched on
at q walk in the direction of the vii
lage.
1t was a pitiful sight, and even then
it made me feel brute.
Present., from walk, as the wound
ed elephant gathered himself together
little, they broke into trot, ana
after that I could follow them no
longer with my eyes, for the second
black cloud came upon over the moon
and put her out as an eXtingulanef
puts out q dip. ,.
say with my eyes, but my ears still
gave me q very fair notion of what was
going on.
When the cloud came up the three
terrified animals were heading directly
for the kraal, probably because they
got confused in the darkness, for Wnen
they came to the kraal fence they dld
not turn aside, but crashed stralGht
through it.
Then there were times" as the
Irish servant girl says in the American
book:
CTo be contin Ied0