dogs and horses.  Having thus decided, I directed the guides to watch the elephants from the summit of the hillock, and with a beating heart I approached them.  The ground and wind favoring me, I soon gained the rocky ridge toward which they were feeding.  They were now within one hundred yards, and I resolved to enjoy the pleasure of watching their movements for a little before I fired.  They continued to feed slowly toward me, breaking the branches from the trees with their trunks, and eating the leaves and tender shoots.  I soon selected the finest in the herd, and kept my eye on her in particular.  At length two of the troup had walked slowly past at about sixty yards, and the one which I had selected was feeding with two others, on a thorny tree before me.

My hand was now as steady as the rock on which it rested; so, taking a deliberate aim, I let fly at her head, a little behind the eye.  She got it hard and sharp, just where I aimed, but it did not seem to affect her much.  Uttering a loud cry, she wheeled about, when I gave her the second ball close behind the shoulder.  All the elephants uttered a strange rumbling noise, and made off in a line to the northward at a brisk ambling pace, their huge, fan-like ears flapping in the ratio of their speed.  I did not wait to load, but ran back to the hillock to obtain a view.  On gaining its summit, the guides pointed out the elephants:  they were standing in a grove of shady trees, but the wounded one was some distance behind with another elephant, doubtless its particular friend, who was endeavoring to assist it.  These elephants had probably never before heard the report of a gun, and, having neither seen nor smelt me, they were unaware of the presence of man, and did not seem inclined to go any further.  Presently my men hove in sight, bringing the dogs; and when these came up, I waited some time before commencing the attack, that the dogs and horses might recover their wind.  We then rode slowly toward the elephants, and had advanced within two hundred yards of them when, the ground being open, they observed us and made off in an easterly direction; but the wounded one immediately dropped astern, and the next moment was surrounded by the dogs, which, barking angrily, seemed to engross all her attention.

Having placed myself between her and the retreating troop, I dismounted to fire, within forty yards of her, in open ground.  Colesberg was extremely afraid of the elephants, and gave me much trouble, jerking my arm when I tried to fire.  At length I let fly; but, on endeavoring to regain my saddle, Colesberg declined to allow me to mount; and when I tried to lead him, and run for it, he only backed toward the wounded elephant.  At this moment I heard another elephant close behind; and looking about, I beheld the “friend,” with uplifted trunk, charging down upon me at top speed, shrilly trumpeting, and following an old black pointer named Schwart, that was perfectly deaf and trotted along before the