AN AFRICAN ADVENTURE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 490, 10 August 1912, Page 3

AN AFRICAN ADVENTURE.

Mr. Henry Savage Landor, in Ms book, "Across Widest Africa," describes the following adventure with an elephant :

As we were crossing an open path of grassy land somewhat on a slope, I saw in the highest part under soms trees two enormous elephants, a male and a female, the male with magnificent tusks. My Somali happened to be quite close to me. As I never carried weapons upon me, I snatched his rifle, a small .303 carbine, and asked him for two cart-

ridges, which -he at once handed inc. Creeping along in the rather short grass,, I stalked the elephants and got quite close. One of my Kcsh, who had a useless matchlock of his own, followed me. My Somali had carried the cartridges in his pocket. They were in a filthy condition, so that when I came to insert one in the rifle I had to force it in, and only with difficulty could I close the bolt.

I got up to within ten yards of the male elephant, who was first lifting up one ear and then the other like huge fans, in order better to h:ar the approaching danger, stretching out his trunk as if he were scenting us, and looking my way with his shortsighted eyes. The sight of elephants is generally poor. Having got quite close, I stood up before him, as he squeezed his eyes to perC2ive what I was. Having taken careful aim I pulled the trigger. The cartridge never went off, but unfortunately my Kesh, who relied on the effectiveness of my weapon, fired the

same moment with his matchlock

We were such a short distance from the animal that he actually hit him in the head. I shall never forget my , surprise when the elephant lifted his trunk skyward, and in his fury roared like thunder. Then/ encircling with his proboscis a good-sized tree neaf by, he snapped it in two as easily as I should break a, lucifer match. My Kcsh gave a piercing yell and bolted, his face, as I caught sight of him, quite disfigured with terror. Shrieking at 1 * the top of his voice, he dashed past, mc as I was endeavouring to open the bolt of my rifle, hopelessly jammed. A moment later the elephant, with his trunk extended, dashed after us, I, too, with my useless rifle in my hand, having by this time acquired a high speed in my flight, and making sharp angles in order to gain time. Fortunately the elephant ran after the Kesh first, whom he could hear owing to the piercing yells. But the Kesh was too smart, and made in haste for some bushes. On getting near them the black man turned a sharp angle, a nd quickly hid himself in a heap in the black shadow of some shrub. The elephant lost him, and having bellowed like thunder for a moment or two in his angry despair, caught sight of me, all dressed up in white that day—for a change—and soon caught me up with his gigantic stride. The ground on which I was running was as I have said, sloping, and I was going downhill, making for seme high grass at the bottom, where I intended to hide % Had I been running a race for the world's record, I am sure I should have won the prize. It was amazing to see how fast I could run, as I confess my blood turned perfectly cold when I could feel the hoarse bellowing trunk of the elephant only a few yards behind me, and I expected every minute to be crushed into a jelly. The strength of my legs seemed to have increased a hundredfold in the desperate effort to get away. When I got to. the bottom of the slope, the grass was higher there of course, because of the moisture which is generally found in these depressions. In that particular part of the country marshy plains were extraordinarily sticky and slushy, so the moment I dashed into the grass, at the record-breaking speed at which I was travelling, my feet stuck in the soft mud, and I was precipitated with my face and hands flat into the slush, my rifle sinking deep. This was a moment of apprehension. I said good-bye to the world, and imagined myself dead, No one could have been more surprised than I was when, a reasonable time to be killed in having elapsed, I got up again, and perceived the elephant a few yards off, cantering away in the opposite direction. His back view wac a great relief to me. He had come to within two or three yards of where I had fallen, and, having himself sunk in the soft mud, had turned round and struggled away, leaving big circular footmarks—regular holes —four or five feet deep in the mud. Elephants are very diffident, in fact,

quite frightened, of these swampy places, where they experience grsat difficulty in getting out again if once they begin to sink deep. For my part, I should not care to have the thrill of another ZQ<f yards race like that. My heart beat for some time after I got up and tried to shake off the slush with which I was covered. The exertion had been somewhat too great in such terrific heat, although I believe that excitements like that are not unwholesome in malarial countries, as they stir up cne's blood and help to keep one in good condition.