He was certainly a king of beasts, and proudly he advanced towards the point.Suddenly he disappeared; nothing could be seen but his trunk above the water as he waded through the deep channel for a few yards, and then reared his majestic form dripping from the lake.He stood upon the `point.' I never saw so grand an animal; it seemed as though no single ball could kill him, and although his head and carcass were enormous, still his length of leg appeared disproportionately great.
With quick, springy paces he advanced directly for his favourite tree and began his process of rubbing, perfectly unaware of the hidden foes so near him.
Having finished his rubbing, he tore up several bunches of grass, but without eating them he threw them pettishly over his back, and tossed some from side to side.I was in momentary dread lest a horse should neigh and disturb him, as they were within 200 paces of where he stood.
Everything was, however, quiet in that direction, where the hiding coolies were watching the impending event with breathless interest.
Having amused himself for some moments by kicking up the turf and dirt and throwing the sand over his back, he took it into his head to visit the main shore, and for this purpose he strode quickly in the direction of the encampment.I moved round the tree to secrete myself as he advanced.He was soon exactly at right angles with me as he was passing the tree, when he suddenly stopped: his whole demeanour changed in an instant; his ears cocked, his eyes gleamed, his tail on end and his trunk raised high in the air, he turned the distended tip towards the tree from behind which I was watching him.He was perfectly motionless and silent in this attitude for some moments.He was thirty yards from me, as I supposed at the time, and I reserved my fire, having the four-ounce rifle ready.Suddenly, with his trunk still raised, his long legs swung forward towards me.There was no time to lose; I was discovered, and a front shot would be useless with his trunk in that position.Just as his head was in the act of turning towards me I took a steady shot at his temple.He sank gently upon his knees, and never afterwards moved a muscle! His eyes were open, and so bright that Ipushed my finger in them to assure myself that life was perfectly extinct.He was exactly thirty-two paces from the rifle, and the ball had passed in at one temple and out at the other.His height may be imagined from this rough method of measuring.A gun-bearer climbed upon his back as the elephant lay upon all-fours, and holding a long stick across his spine at right angles, I could just touch it with the points of my fingers by reaching to my utmost height.Thus, as he lay, his back was seven feet two inches, perpendicular height, from the ground.This would make his height when erect about twelve feet on the spine-an enormous height for an elephant, as twelve feet on the top of the back is about equal to eleven feet six inches at the shoulder.If I had not fortunately killed this elephant at the first shot, I should have had enough to do to take care of myself, as he was one of the most vicious-looking brutes that I ever saw, and he was in the very act of charging when I shot him.
With these elephants the four-ounce rifle is an invaluable weapon; even if the animal is not struck in the mortal spot, the force of the blow upon the head is so great that it will generally bring him upon his knees, or at least stop him.It has failed once or twice in this, but not often; and upon those occasions I had loaded with the conical ball.
This, although it will penetrate much farther through a thick substance than a round ball, is not so effective in elephant-shooting as the latter.The reason is plain enough.No shot in the head will kill an elephant dead unless it passes through the brain; an ounce ball will effect this as well as a six-pound shot; but there are many cases where the brain cannot be touched, by a peculiar method of carrying the head and trunk in charging, etc.; a power is then required that by the concussion will knock him down, or turn him; this power is greater in the round ball than in the conical, as a larger surface is suddenly struck.The effect is similar to a man being run through the arm with a rapier or thrust at with a poker--the rapier will pass through him almost without his knowledge, but the poker will knock him down.Thus the pointed conical ball will, perhaps, pass through an elephant's forehead and penetrate as far as his shoulders, but it will produce no immediate effect.For buffalo-shooting the conical ball is preferable, as with the heavy charge of powder that I use it will pass completely through him from end to end.A four-ounce ball, raking an animal from stem to stern, must settle him at once.This is a desirable thing to accomplish with wild buffaloes, as they may, frequently prove awkward customers, even after receiving several mortal wounds from light guns.
The four-ounce conical ball should be an excellent weapon for African shooting, where the usual shot at an elephant is at the shoulder.This shot would never answer in Ceylon; the country is not sufficiently open to watch the effects produced upon the animal, and although he may have a mortal wound, he carries it away with him and is not bagged.I have frequently tried this shot; and, although I have seen the elephants go away with ears and trunk drooping, still I have never bagged more than one by any but the head shot.This fellow was a small `tusker,' who formed one of a herd in thick thorny jungle.There were several rocks in this low jungle which overtopped the highest bushes; and having taken my station upon one of these, I got a downward shot between the shoulders at the tusker, and dropped him immediately as the herd passed beneath.
