Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-08-27

ana ITO.
Presently the grass about forty yards
on the higher side Of him gave wide
ripple. and a lioness sprang out of 1t
like a fash. and bounded noiselessly
up to the lion.
Reaching him, the great cat halted
suddenly, and rubbed her head against
his shoulder--
Then they both began to purr loudly.
so loudly that believe that one might
in the stiffness have heard them two
hundred yards or more away.
After awhile. while l was still hest
tating what to do. either they got a
Whit of my wind, or they wearied OF
standing still, and determined to start
in search of game.
At any rate, as though moved by
common impulse, they suddenly bound
ed away, leap by leap, and vanished IN
the depths of the forest to the left.
waited for little while longer to
see II there were. any more yellow
skins about, and seeing none. came to
the conclusion that the lions must have
frightened the elephants away, ana
that had had my stroll for nothing.
But just as I was turning back l
thought heard a bough break upon
the farther side of the glade, and, rash
as the proceeding was, followed the
sound.
crossed the glade as silently as my
own shadow.
On its father side the path went on.
Albeit with many fears, l went on,
too.
The jungle growth was so thick here
that it almost met overhead. leaving
so small a passage for the light that l
could scarcely see to crop my way
along.
Presently, however, it widened, and
then opened into a second glade slight
ly smaller than the first, and there. on
the father side of it, 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 n
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 me, and broadside on.
While was still staring at them this
elephant suddenly walked off and van
ished down a path in the bush to the
right.
There were now two things to be
done-either l could go back to the
camp, and advance upon the elephants
at dawn, or l 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 lunacy.
But. on the other hand, I knew that
they would be on the march again be-
fore daylight, and there might come
another day of weary trudglnS before
l could catch them up. or they might
escape ME altogether.
NO" 1 thought to myself. faint
heart never won fair tusk. I'll risk 1T,
and have a 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 Gle.
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.
hesitated, and peeped down the
path which the elephant had followed
About five yards in it took turn
round bush.
thought that would just have q
look behind it, and advanced, expect,
ing that should be able to catch a
sight Of the Elephants tail.
AS it happened, however, I met his
trunk coming round the corner.
1t is very disconcerting to see al
elephants trunk when you expect tc
see his tail, and for a moment stood
paralyzed almostunder the vast brute's
head, for he was not five yards from
me.
He. too, halted, having either seen Of
winded me, probably the latter, and
then threw uphis trunk and trumpeted
preparatory to charge.
was in for It now. for l could not
escape either to the right or left OF
account Of the bush, and did not dar,
turn my back.
So l did the only thing that I could
do, raised the rifle and fred at thu
black mass of his chest.
1t was too dark for me to pick {
shot; could only brown it, as it were
The shot rang out like thunder OF
the quiet air, and the elephant an
swered it with scream, and theI
dropped his trunk, and stood for a sec
| ond or two as still as though he hat
been cut in stone.
confess that lost my head-I ough
| to have fred my second barrel, but
did not.
Instead of doing so I rapidly opened
my rife, pulled out the old cartridge
from the right barrel and replaced 1t.
But before l could snap the breach
to, the bull was at me.