t, I couldn't get up easily, as the tree held me
down, but I forced myself out after a bit with Blueboy's help. I didn't
know at first what it was had knocked me down, but Blueboy said, `He
dodt, he dodt,' and on looking round I saw a great black mass among the
bushes, and there was the elephant lying dead.

"I went up to the creature, and was astonished with its size; it was, as
it lay, far higher than I was. I noticed that there were big tusks, and
this delighted me too. I didn't know that to cut off the tail proved
ownership, so I left the animal, and with no little excitement went off
to my father at the waggons. He was just getting up from a sleep, and
upon seeing me said,--

"`Well, where's the buck? I heard a shot: did you miss him?'

"`I fired all four bullets, father,' I said.

"`And missed with all four. That won't do; you must shoot with a
smaller gun, boy, or you'll waste powder and lead.'

"`I didn't miss with one bullet, father; I hit with all.'

"`Then you've killed your buck; and where is it?'

"`It wasn't a buck, father,' I said.

"`Not a buck! What was it then? Not a buffalo; you don't mean to say
that you've fired at a buffalo?'

"`It was bigger than a buffalo,' I answered.

"My father looked at me incredulously for some time, but I couldn't wait
any longer, so I said, `I've shot an elephant with large tusks.'

"My father jumped off the waggon-box as if he'd been shot, as he
exclaimed, `Shot an elephant! You--you shot an elephant! Where is he?'

"`Ja, bas, [Yes, Master], he's shot an elephant!' exclaimed Blueboy. `I
showed him where the elephant was.'

"`Get a hatchet--get your knives!' shouted my father to the Hottentots;
`the boy has shot an elephant!' and off we ran, I leading, till we came
to the place where the elephant lay. There he was, sure enough, and my
father was delighted. We didn't get the tusks out in a hurry, and then
we cut up lots of meat, and took the trunk, and a foot, and carried
these with us to Graham's Town. Just for curiosity lots of people
bought the elephant's flesh to taste, and the teeth being fresh weighed
very heavy, and fetched a good price.

"`Keep the money,' said my father; `that shall be your first prize; and
I now give you my gun that you shot the elephant with;' and here, Hans,
you see that mark in the stock. That stands for the first elephant I
ever shot."

"There are plenty since then," replied Hans. "See, your stock is
covered w