and the elephant continued on its course,
thus travelling in the opposite direction to that in which the elephants
ran which Victor and Bernhard had wounded. Hans quickly pursued his
elephant, and firing at it behind the shoulder, lodged his two bullets
there. This the huge animal seemed to be indifferent to, and still
charged on with great speed. Loading as he rode at full gallop, Hans
continued bombarding the elephant, but apparently with no great effect,
and he found himself far away from his companions, and riding in the
opposite direction to that in which they had gone.

Powerful as was the elephant, still it was mortal; and as the heavy gun
of Hans was discharged time after time close to the animal's side, the
bullets passed nearly through it, and at length compelled it to cease
struggling for life, and resign the combat. Standing near a large tree,
against which it leaned for support, the animal received its death
wound, and fell to the ground, breaking off both its tusks as it came to
the earth.

Hans immediately took the saddle off his tired steed, and allowed it to
graze, whilst he sat down beside his prize. He estimated that he had
ridden about eight miles away from the spot on which he had first
started the elephants, and in a nearly easterly direction. The country
was entirely unknown to him, and there was no sun to guide him as to the
points of the compass, but the instinct of a hunter would tell him which
way he should go in order to retrace his steps, or he might follow his
spoor back. He determined to rest about an hour, and then to ride back;
so, lighting his pipe, he enjoyed a quiet smoke. Whilst thus occupied,
he was surprised to hear human voices near him, and still more so when
he saw a party of about a dozen men, some of them partially clothed, and
all armed with guns, who were coming rapidly towards him. Hans' first
idea was to mount his horse and ride away; but he saw that before he
could reach his horse the men would be close to him, and if they
intended to injure him, they could easily shoot him at the short
distance which they would then be from him. The fact of their having
guns rather disposed Hans to think that they must be partially
civilised, and that therefore he need not fear them as enemies.

It was evident that these men, having heard the report of his gun, had
come to search out the cause of so unusual a noise in this
neighbourhood, and the elephant soon attracted their