e, which the elephant had already passed. Nowell
retreated, then halted, and once more pulled his trigger; his piece
missed fire. Again and again he tried. He had no time to put on a cap.
He endeavoured to escape his impending fate by flight. He ran fast.
He saw a tree some yards off. He hoped to reach it. At first he
outstripped his savage pursuer; then his strength, it appeared, failed
him; he dropped his rifle and ran on. Once more he gained ground on the
elephant. He reached the tree, but he did not look to see on which side
the elephant was coming. He ran round it and met his ruthless foe face
to face! Not a cry escaped him. Who can picture his sensations? on
another instant, the huge monster's whole weight was upon him.

"Dere--dere is de tree," said Dango, pointing to a large ebony tree at a
little distance.

We approached the spot with awe and dread. There lay, recognised only
by parts of the dress, all that now remained on earth of the once gay,
gallant, and handsome Arthur Nowell, slain in an inglorious and useless
strife with a wild beast. I shuddered as I thought how narrowly I had
escaped such a fate, and felt thankful for the mercy which had been
shown me. Then as I looked once more at the spot, and remembered that
he who lay there had lately been my companion and friend, and that but a
few hours before I had seen him full of life and animation, with
cheerful voice eagerly pursuing the chase, I gave way to my feelings and
burst into tears.

Such has been the fate of many an elephant-hunter. It was almost
impossible to carry the mangled remains to the camp, so with our
hunting-knives and spades, manufactured by our followers, in the course
of a few minutes we dug a grave in which we placed them. Rudely carving
his name on the stem of the tree, while our followers carried poor
Dango, with sad hearts we returned to the camp.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

GRIEF OF MR. FORDYCE--MAHINTALA--CATCH A CROCODILE--SINGING FISH--ARRIVE
AT TRINCOMALEE--EMBARK ON BOARD THE STAR--VISIT THE MALDIVES--ADEN--NEWS
OF ALFRED--ISLAND OF PERIM--MAGADONA--FURTHER NEWS OF ALFRED--FIND A
SHIPWRECKED SEAMAN ON A ROCK--WHO HE PROVED TO BE.

"And where is Nowell? Have you not found him?" asked Mr Fordyce, as we
rode up to the rendez-vous, where breakfast was being prepared under the
shade of a banyan-tree. I thought my kind friend's heart would have
broken when he heard what had occurred.

"I had begun to love him