Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-03

our sight.
Trailing the Wounded
Ply the time had got to the ground and
sumed the boots Jordan had sent back to
me, l found myself alone with my gunbearer,
Mataia, and Arab Barta all of whom insisted
that No. L. the giant first hit, had not returned
and must be down or badly sick to the east of
us, holding that the two which had just passed
us were the two smaller of the trio. However,
preferring myself to follow the trail Of those
knew to be hard hit, | sent Awala and Barta
a circle to the east for 81 gn of the missing
elephant, and with Mataia hurried over to the
trail.
There was their spoor plain enough both
heavily blood marked, bearing west for mile
and then swinging south, still side by side for
another half-mile, when turned west and
the other continued on.
Which to follow was a puzzle; for so far,
through the long grass and over hard ground,
l had found no footmark to tell which was the
large one, nor did l know what had become of
Jordan. My choice was unfortunate for after
continuing south another hour the trail
crossed a marsh. where soon saw the footprints
could not be those of the big fellow. So, leaving
Mataia to follow this trail, l struck off south
west to try to cut the other, wallowing through
the grass, never with view of anything but sky
and Interests. Great hackney training that
going would make! few days of it would
develop blue ribbon knee action
At length, when tagged to finish by
ton, not another mile of go left in me, just
ahead heard two quick shots from the big $50.
Revived bit and hurrying on couple of
hundred yards brought me to Jordan and
dead monster, the man reclining limp alott
upon the beasts high bullying side and looking
nearly as bereft of breath as was the quarry
so dead beat thought he was going to roll off
in faint.
A Dead Monster
PRESENTLY, however, he regained his wind
and got his story. At the parting of the
trails he had chosen this one and pounded
along it fast he could passing two places
where the elephant had stopped and bled heav-
lily. At length, come just there to near, but to
him unseen, approach, the beast caught his
wind and charged him straight; but luckily
landing the best possible turning shot midway
of its sensitive trunk, he was given the chance
of shoulder shot that pierced the heart of
which the elephant crashed to the ground and
never again rose.
The monster was so enormous that never
questioned he was No. of the three until Jor-
dan painted angrily:
:" Tust look at him, the internal blankety-
blank Brighter! Only one tusk, curse him.
And upon pulling away the grass in which
the lower half of his head lay and finding the
startling statement true, | cried:
We'll; | am out of luck, then: for he's no
elephant of mine. The three had full sets of
ivory. Wherever did he come from"
But he IS yours all the same, Jordan an
swered " Has four of your small nine nm. and
your .4O5 in him, two in the lungs, near the
spine, one through his tummy, and another
that must have tickled his liver. Look for
yourself; they all here Beggar would have
been down in another hour at the most for
good groggy when he came for me.
His ivory beats me, too: for d have sworn
all three had full sets Thought at first he
might have broken it off to spite us; but You'll
see the stump shows old break, six inches
from the lip. Hope it hurt the old bounder a
lot! Just fancy! The internal wasteful idiot
Old enough to know better! Twelve or fifteen
hundred nice juicy rupees stuck in his face, and
he has to 90 and lose half of them!"
The Third Biggest Recorded
PUT, disappointing as he from the COM
- mercial point of view of an old professional
ivory hunter, he nevertheless such gor-
geous trophy as had never dared hope for.
His good tusk six feet four inches in
length and seventeen inches in circumference
at the lip, weighing sixty-two pounds, and clean
"kutch" (prime) ivory at that, while the stump
weighed twenty-one pounds, total Of eighty
three pounds, light enough to be sure; but in
height at the withers measuring perpendicu-
larly and not along body curves he stood
eleven feet four inches, while his length from
tip of trunk to tip of tail was twentyseven feet
eight inches, his girth about the middle nine