coincidence, I do not know, but the rotten beam broke and I went down
too, landing flat at the foot of the tree upon a certain humble portion
of the human frame. The shock was so severe that I felt as though all
my teeth were flying through the roof of my mouth, but although I sat
slightly stunned for a few seconds, luckily for me I fell light, and was
not in any way injured.

"Meanwhile the elephant began to scream with fear and fury, and,
attracted by his cries, the other two charged up. I felt for my rifle;
it was not there. Then I remembered that I had rested it on a fork of
the bough in order to fire, and doubtless there it remained. My position
was now very unpleasant. I did not dare to try and climb the tree again,
which, shaken as I was, would have been a task of some difficulty,
because the elephants would certainly see me, and Gobo, who had clung to
a bough, was still aloft with the other rifle. I could not run because
there was no shelter near. Under these circumstances I did the only
thing feasible, clambered round the trunk as softly as possible, and
keeping one eye on the elephants, whispered to Gobo to bring down the
rifle, and awaited the development of the situation. I knew that if
the elephants did not see me--which, luckily, they were too enraged to
do--they would not smell me, for I was up-wind. Gobo, however, either
did not, or, preferring the safety of the tree, would not hear me. He
said the former, but I believed the latter, for I knew that he was not
enough of a sportsman to really enjoy shooting elephants by moonlight in
the open. So there I was behind my tree, dismayed, unarmed, but highly
interested, for I was witnessing a remarkable performance.

"When the two other bulls arrived the wounded elephant on the ground
ceased to scream, but began to make a low moaning noise, and to gently
touch the wound near his shoulder, from which the blood was literally