young in those days and foolish, and in the excitement of the moment I
lifted my "roer" or elephant gun and fired at the great brute over my
horse's head. The recoil of the heavy gun nearly knocked me off the
horse. I recovered myself, however, and, as I did so, saw the bull
lurch forward, for the impact of a three-ounce bullet in the flank will
quicken the movement even of an elephant. By this time I had realized
the folly of the shot, and devoutly hoped that the bull would take
no further notice of it. But he took a different view of the matter.
Pulling himself up in a series of plunges, he spun round and came for
me with outstretched ears and uplifted trunk, screaming terribly. I was
quite defenceless, for my gun was empty, and my first thought was of
escape. I dug my heels into the sides of my horse, but he would not move
an inch. The poor animal was paralyzed with terror, and he simply stood
still, his fore-legs outstretched, and quivering all over like a leaf.

On rushed the elephant, awful to see; I made one more vain effort to
stir the horse. Now the trunk of the great bull swung aloft above my
head. A thought flashed through my brain. Quick as light I rolled from
the saddle. By the side of the horse lay a fallen tree, as thick through
as a man's body. The tree was lifted a little off the ground by the
broken boughs which took its weight, and with a single movement, so
active is one in such necessities, I flung myself beneath it. As I did
so, I heard the trunk of the elephant descend with a mighty thud on the
back of my poor horse, and the next instant I was almost in darkness,
for the horse, whose back was broken, fell over across the tree under
which I lay ensconced. But he did not stop there long. In ten seconds
more the bull had wound his trunk about my dead nag's neck, and, with a
mighty effort, hurled him clear of the tree. I wriggled backwards as far
as I could towards the roots of the tree, for I knew what he was after.
Presently I saw the red tip of the bull's trunk stretching itself