The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-10-16

skins about, and seeing none. came %
/ the conclusion that the lions must have
frightened the elephants away and
/ that had had my stroll for nothing.
But just as I was turning back
! thought 1 heard a bough break upon
the farther side Of the glade, and, rash
as the proceeding was, followed tho
sound.
j crossed the glade as silently as my
own shadow.
On its father side the path went on.
Albeit with many fears, ! went on
too.
The jungle growth was SO thick here
that it almost met overhead, leaving
So small a passage for the light That
could scarcely see to crop my way
along.
Presently. however. 1t widened, and
then opened into a second glade slight
| " smaller than the FIRST, and there, on
the father side Of 1t, about eighty
yards from me. stood the three enor-
nous elephants.
They stood thus: Immediately oppo-
site and facing me was the wounded
one-tusked bull.
He was leaning his bulk against
dead thorn tree. the only one in the
place, and looked very sick indeed.
| Near him stood the second bull. as
/ though keeping watch over him.
The third elephant was good deal
nearer to nue., and broadside on.
While was stillestaring at them this
elephant suddenly walked off and van
ished down path in the bush to the
right.
There were now two things to be
dorfe either | could go back to the
camp. and advance upon the elephants
at dawn, or / could attack them at
once.
The first was evidently by far the
wiser and safer course.
To go for one elephant by moonlight
and single-handed is sufficiently rash
proceeding; to tackle three was little
short of luIacT.
But. on the other nsnd, knew that
they would be on the march again be-
fore daylight, and there might come
another day of weary trudging before
I could catch them up, or they might
escape me altogether.
'No," l thought to myself faint
heart never won fair tusk. I'll risk it,
and have slap at them. But how?"
could not advance across the open,
for they would see me; clearly the only
thing to do was to creep round in the
shadow of the bush and try to come
upon them SO.
So started
Seven or eight minutes of careful
stalking brought me to the mouth Of
the path down which the third ele-
plant had walked
The other two were now about fifty
yards from me, and the nature of the
wall of bush was such that could not
see how to get nearer to them without
being discovered.
I .hesitated, and peeped down the
path which the elephant had followed.
About five yards in it took turn
round a bush.
l thought that I would just have a
look behind it. and advanced. expect
ing that l should be able to catch a
sight of the elephants tail.
AS it happened, however, met his
trunk coming round the corner.
1t is very disconcerting to see an
elephants trunk when you expect to
see his tail, and for a moment l stood
paralyzed almost under the vast brute's
head, for he was not five yards from
me.
He. too. halted, having either seen or
winded me. probably the latter. and
then threw uphis trunk and trumpeted,
preparatory to charge.
was in for it now, for could not
escape either to the right or left on
account OF the bush, and did not dare
turn my back.
So did the only thing that could
do, raised the rifle and fred at the
black mass Of his chest.
1t was too dark for me to pick a
shot; could only brown it, as it were.
The shot rang out like thunder on
the quiet air, and the elephant an
swered it with a scream. and then
dropped his trunk. and stood for Sec
ond or two as still as though he had
been cut in stone.
confess that lost my head-I ought
to have fred my second barrel. but
did not
Instead Of doing SO rapidly opened
my rife, pulled out the old cartridge
from the right barrel and replaced it.
But before ! could snap the breach
to, the bull was at me.
saw his great trunk fly up like
brown beam, and waited no longer
Turning, | fed for dear life, and after
me thundered the elephant
Right into the open glade ran. and
then, thank Heaven. Just as he was
coming up with me the bullet took eff
feet on him,
ITO be continued,