Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-23

CHATTER NIN-(CDntinued)
ITO TELL the truth. although was never
i fond OF unnecessary risks, I rejoiced az
the fight. Not even all the excitement or
that hldeous and prolonged battle had on
liberated from my mind the burning sense
of shame at the exhibition which l had
made Of myself by missing this beast with
four barrels at forty yards.
Now thought to myself with kind OF
exultant thrill, now, Jana, | Will wipe out
both my disgrace and you. This time there
shall be no mistake, or II there is let II De
my last.
on thundered Jana, whirling the iron
balls among the soldiers, who fled to right
and left. leaving clear path between me
and him To make quite sure of things, for
| was trembling little with fatigue and
somewhat sick from the continuous sight OF
bloodshed knelt down upon my rigE. knee.
using the other as n prop to my left elbow,
and since | could not make certain or n
head shot because of the continual whirling
of the huge trunk, got tho sight Of my big
game rifle dead on to the beast where the
throat Joins the chest. I hoped that the
heavy conical bullet would either pierce
through TO the spine or cut one of the large
arteries In the neck. or at least that the
tremendous shock of its impact would bring
him down,
At twenty PAGES fired and hlt--not Jana
but the lame priest who was filling the
office Of mahout perched upon his shoulders
many feet above the point at whlch hau
aimed. Yes! ] had hit him In the head
which was shattered like an eggShell' so
that he fell lifeless to the ground.
In perfect desperation again ! aimed, and
fred when Jana was not more than thirty
feet away This time the bullet must nave
gone wide to the left, for | saw CHIP ny
from the end of the animals broken and
deformed tusk which struck out in that
direction several feet clear of It's side
Then | gave up all hope. There was no
time to gain my feet and escape; indeed,
| did not wish to do So who felt that there
are some failures which can only he an
solved by death. ! just knet there waiting
for the end.
In an instant the gigantic creature was
almost over me. | remember looking up at
it and thinking In a queer sort of way
perhaps II was some ancestral memory
that | was n little apelike child about TO oe
slain by primordial elephant thrice az
big as any that now nhabits the earth
Then something appeared to happen when
/ only repeat to show how at such mo-
ments absugh and impossible things seem
real TO us.
The reader may remember the strange
| dream which Hans had related to me that
morning.
| one Incident of this fantasy was that he
| had met the spirit of the Zulu lady Ma.
meena whom ! knew in hygone years, and
that she bade him tell me she would be
| look for her when death drew near TO me
| and Jana Numbered on" for then, per-
| chance | should see her.
| Well, no doubt in some lightning flash
of thought the memory of those words oc-
Cured to me at this juncture, with the
| ridiculous result that my subjective intelli-
| gence If that be the right term, actually
| created the scene which they described
| As clearly, or perhaps more clearly than
| ever / saw anything else In my NE l
/ haa fnl "a pp N
| in her fur cloak and her blue beads. stand
| ing between Jana and myself with her arms
| folded upon her breast and looking exactly
| as she did In the tremendous moment OF
| her death before King Panda. | even noted
| how the faint breeze stirred loose end oil
| her outspread hair and how the sunlight
| caught q particular point of copper ban
| gle on her upper arm
| So she stood or rather seemed to stand
| quite still: and, as II happened, at that
| moment that giant Jana, either because
| something had frightened him, or perhaps
| owing to the shock of my bullet striking on
| his tusk having Jared the brain, suddenly
pulled up, sliding little with all his
| four feet together, till / thought he was
| going TO sit down like a performing ele'
phant. They t appeared to me as though
| Mameena turned round very slowly bent 10,
ward me, whispering something which
could not hear although her lips moved
L
eyes of hers and vanished away.
| A fraction of second later all this Wis
| ion had gone and something that was ne
| vision took its place. Jana had recovered
| himself and was at me again with opei
| mouth and lifted trunk, | heard Dutcl
| curse and saw a little yellow form; saw
| Hans--for II was he-thrust the barrels
my second elephant rifle almost into that ret
| cave of mouth which, however, they coulc
| not reach. and fire, first one barrel, thel
the other,
| Another moment, and the mighty trunl
| had wrapped itself about Hans and hurled
him through the air, to fan on his heat
and arms thirty or forty feet away.
Jana staggered as though he too. wer
| about TO fall recovered himself; swerved L
the right, perhaps 10 follow Hans, stumbled
| on a few PAGES, missing me altogether. theI
| again came to a standstll. / wrggled my
| self round and, seated on the pavement o
| the court watched what followed. and glaC
am ] that l was able to do so, for neve
| shall behold such another scene.
First I saw Ragnall run up with riff
| and fire two barrels at the brutes head, o
! which he took no notice whatsoever Thei
| saw his wife, who in this land wa
known as the Guardian of the Child, ISSUING
from the portals of the second court
dressed in her goddess robes wearing tn
cap of birds feathers, attended by the tw
"BRUSSELS SPROUTS"