another young elephant running off with the main body.

On looking down over the now well-trampled sea of lemon grass, we saw in
the distance several more elephants. Wishing to rejoin Nowell, and to
have another chance of a shot, I descended the hill, followed by Dango.
We worked our way up to the spot where our three elephants lay, when my
companion shrieked out at the top of his voice--

"Sahib, sahib, look dere, look dere--elephant come!" I did look towards
the point indicated, and there, sure enough, came a huge beast--who was
evidently, from his peculiar characteristics, every inch a rogue--
bursting at full charge through the tall grass. He carried his trunk
high up in the air, while--with ears cocked, and his tail standing out
above his back like the ensign staff at the stern of a man-of-war's
boat--screaming terrifically, he rushed at me with scarcely credible
velocity. To escape from him through that tall, thick grass was utterly
impossible. What to him were mere gossamer threads served effectually
to stop my progress. I had all along at first had some slight doubts as
to the wisdom of the expedition in which I was engaged. I then
remembered that I foolishly had not loaded after I had fired my last
shot. I had, consequently, only one barrel ready.

With his trunk raised I could not hope to hit the elephant on the
forehead even if I fired, so I resolved to wait till the last moment,
when he was close upon me, thinking that he might then lower it to
strike me, and expose a vital spot. On he came with a speed greater
than I had supposed an elephant could use. Right and left flew the long
grass, louder and louder grew his horrid screams as he saw that I was
within his power. Still his trunk was raised, and I could not fire. In
another moment, with a scream of triumph and gratified rage, he was
within three feet of me. I fired, and immediately exerting all my
muscular powers to the utmost, I sprang on one side. In vain it seemed.
Down like a flash of lightning he lashed his powerful trunk at me, and
I felt myself hurled through the air as a ball is sent off from a
golf-stick, to the distance of a dozen yards from him, or even more, I
thought. Happily it was among the still standing grass. I had been
struck on the thigh, and was not stunned, though the limb felt numbed,
and I thought must be smashed to pieces. That little mattered, though,
as I fully expected to have my head in another moment in as