Popular Adventure Tales

by Mayne Reid

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  A ROGUE ELEPHANT.

  The elephant was standing in a grove of _mokhala_ trees. These, unlikethe humbler mimosas, have tall naked stems, with heads of thick foliage,in form resembling an umbrella or parasol. Their pinnate leaves ofdelicate green are the favourite food of the giraffe, hence theirbotanical appellation of _Acacia giraffae_; and hence also their commonname among the Dutch hunters of "cameel-doorns" (camel-thorns).

  The tall giraffe, with his prehensile lip, raised nearly twenty feet inthe air, can browse upon these trees without difficulty. Not so theelephant, whose trunk cannot reach so high; and the latter would oftenhave to imitate the fox in the fable, were he not possessed of a meanswhereby he can bring the tempting morsel within reach--that is, simplyby breaking down the tree. This his vast strength enables him to do,unless when the trunk happens to be one of the largest of its kind.

  When the eyes of our hunters first rested upon the elephant, he wasstanding by the head of a prostrate mokhala, which he had just brokenoff near the root. He was tearing away at the leaves, and filling hiscapacious stomach.

  As soon as Swartboy recovered the control over his tongue, he ejaculatedin a hurried whisper:--

  "Pas op! (take care!) baas Bloom,--hab good care--don't go near um--heda skellum ole klow. My footy! he wicked!--I know de ole bull duyvel."

  By this volley of queer phrases, Swartboy meant to caution his masteragainst rashly approaching the elephant, as he knew him to be one of thewicked sort--in short, a "rogue."

  How Swartboy knew this would appear a mystery, as there were noparticular marks about the animal to distinguish him from others of hiskind. But the Bushman, with his practised eye, saw something in thegeneral physiognomy of the elephant--just as one may distinguish afierce and dangerous bull from those of milder disposition, or a badfrom a virtuous man, by some expression that one cannot define.

  Von Bloom himself, and even Hendrik, saw that the elephant had a fierceand ruffian look.

  They did not stand in need of Swartboy's advice to act with caution.

  They remained for some minutes, gazing through the bushes at the hugequadruped. The more they gazed, the more they became resolved to make anattack upon him. The sight of his long tusks was too tempting to VonBloom, to admit for a moment the thought of letting him escape without afight. A couple of bullets he should have into him, at all events; andif opportunity offered, a good many more, should these not besufficient. Von Bloom would not relinquish those fine tusks without astruggle.

  He at once set about considering the safest mode of attack; but was notallowed time to mature any plan. The elephant appeared to be restless,and was evidently about to move forward. He might be off in a moment,and carry them after him for miles, or, perhaps, in the thick cover ofwait-a-bits get lost to them altogether.

  These conjectures caused Von Bloom to decide at once upon beginning theattack, and without any other plan than to stalk in as near as would besafe, and deliver his fire. He had heard that a single bullet in theforehead would kill any elephant; and if he could only get in such aposition as to have a fair shot at the animal's front, he believed hewas marksman enough to plant his bullet in the right place.

  He was mistaken as to killing an elephant with a shot in the forehead.That is a notion of gentlemen who have hunted the elephant in theirclosets--though other closet gentlemen--the anatomists--to whom give alldue credit--have shown the thing to be impossible, from the peculiarstructure of the elephant's skull and the position of his brain.

  Von Bloom at the time was under this wrong impression, and thereforecommitted a grand mistake. Instead of seeking a side shot, which hecould have obtained with far less trouble--he decided on creeping roundin front of the elephant, and firing right in the animal's face.

  Leaving Hendrik and Swartboy to attack him from behind, he took acircuit under cover of the bushes; and at length arrived in the path theelephant was most likely to take.

  He had scarcely gained his position, when he saw the huge animal comingtowards him with silent and majestic tread; and although the elephantonly walked, half-a-dozen of his gigantic strides brought him close upto the ambushed hunter. As yet the creature uttered no cry; but as hemoved, Von Bloom could hear a rumbling gurgling sound, as of waterdashing to and fro in his capacious stomach!

  Von Bloom had taken up his position behind the trunk of a large tree.The elephant had not yet seen him, and, perhaps, would have passed onwithout knowing that he was there, had the hunter permitted him. Thelatter even thought of such a thing, for although a man of courage, thesight of the great forest giant caused him for a moment to quail.

  But, again, the curving ivory gleamed in his eyes--again he rememberedthe object that had brought him into that situation; he thought of hisfallen fortunes--of his resolve to retrieve them--of his children'swelfare.

  These thoughts resolved him. His long roer was laid over a knot in thetrunk--its muzzle pointed at the forehead of the advancing elephant--hiseye gleamed through the sights--the loud detonation followed--and acloud of smoke for a moment hid everything from his view.

  He could hear a hoarse, bellowing, trumpet-like sound--he could hear thecrashing of branches and the gurgling of water; and, when, the smokecleared away, to his chagrin he saw that the elephant was still upon hisfeet, and evidently not injured in the least!

  The shot had struck the animal exactly where the hunter had aimed it;but, instead of inflicting a mortal wound, it had only excited thecreature to extreme rage. He was now charging about striking the treeswith his tusks, tearing branches off, and tossing them aloft with histrunk--though all the while evidently in ignorance of what had tickledhim so impertinently upon the forehead!

  Fortunately for Von Bloom, a good thick tree sheltered him from the viewof the elephant. Had the enraged animal caught sight of him at thatmoment, it would have been all up with him; but the hunter knew this,and had the coolness to remain close and quiet.

  Not so with Swartboy. When the elephant moved forward, he and Hendrikhad crept after through the grove of mokhalas. They had even followedhim across the open ground into the bush, where Von Bloom awaited him.On hearing the shot, and seeing that the elephant was still unhurt,Swartboy's courage gave way; and leaving Hendrik, he ran back towardsthe mokhala grove, shouting as he went.

  His cries reached the ears of the elephant, that at once rushed off inthe direction in which he heard them. In a moment he emerged from thebush, and, seeing Swartboy upon the open ground, charged furiously afterthe flying Bushman. Hendrik--who had stood his ground, and in theshelter of the bushes was not perceived--delivered his shot as theanimal passed him. His ball told upon the shoulder, but it only servedto increase the elephant's fury. Without stopping, he rushed on afterSwartboy, believing, no doubt, that the poor Bushman was the cause ofthe hurts he was receiving, and the nature of which he but illunderstood.

  It was but a few moments, from the firing of the first shot, untilthings took this turn. Swartboy was hardly clear of the bushes beforethe elephant emerged also; and as the former struck out for the mokhalatrees, he was scarce six steps ahead of his pursuer.

  Swartboy's object was to get to the grove, in the midst of which wereseveral trees of large size. One of these he proposed climbing--as thatseemed his only chance for safety.

  He had not got half over the open ground, when he perceived he would betoo late. He heard the heavy rush of the huge monster behind him--heheard his loud and vengeful bellowing--he fancied he felt his hotbreath. There was still a good distance to be run. The climbing of thetree, beyond the reach of the elephant's trunk, would occupy time. Therewas no hope of escaping to the tree.

  These reflections occurred almost instantaneously. In ten secondsSwartboy arrived at the conclusion, that running to the tree would notsave him; and all at once he stopped in his career, wheeled round, andfaced the elephant!

  Not that he had formed any plan of saving himself in that way. It wasnot bravery, but only despair, that caused him to turn u
pon his pursuer.He knew that, by running on, he would surely be overtaken. It could beno worse if he faced round; and, perhaps, he might avoid the fatalcharge by some dexterous manoeuvre.

  The Bushman was now right in the middle of the open ground; the elephantrushing straight towards him.

  The former had no weapon to oppose to his gigantic pursuer. He hadthrown away his bow--his axe too--to run the more nimbly. But neitherwould have been of any avail against such an antagonist. He carriednothing but his sheep-skin kaross. That had encumbered him in hisflight; but he had held on to it for a purpose.

  His purpose was soon displayed.

  He stood until the extended trunk was within three feet of his face; andthen, flinging his kaross so that it should fall over the long cylinder,he sprang nimbly to one side, and started to run back.

  He would, no doubt, have succeeded in passing to the elephant's rear,and thus have escaped; but as the kaross fell upon the great trunk itwas seized in the latter, and swept suddenly around. UnfortunatelySwartboy's legs had not yet cleared the circle--the kaross lapped aroundthem--and the Bushman was thrown sprawling upon the plain.

  In a moment the active Swartboy recovered his feet, and was about tomake off in a new direction. But the elephant, having discovered thedeception of the kaross, had dropped it, and turned suddenly after him.Swartboy had hardly made three steps, when the long ivory curve wasinserted between his legs from behind; and the next moment his body waspitched high into the air.

  Von Bloom and Hendrik, who had just then reached the edge of the glade,saw him go up; but to their astonishment he did not come to the groundagain! Had he fallen back upon the elephant's tusks? and was he heldthere by the trunk? No. They saw the animal's head. The Bushman was notthere, nor upon his back, nor anywhere to be seen. In fact, the elephantseemed as much astonished as they at the sudden disappearance of hisvictim! The huge beast was turning his eyes in every direction, as ifsearching for the object of his fury!

  SWARTBOY IN A PREDICAMENT.]

  Where could Swartboy have gone? Where? At this moment the elephant gavea loud roar, and was seen rushing to a tree, which he now caught in histrunk, and shook violently. Von Bloom and Hendrik looked up towards itstop, expecting to see Swartboy there. Sure enough he was there, perchedamong the leaves and branches where he had been projected! Terror wasdepicted in his countenance, for he felt that he was not safe in hisposition. But he had scarce time to give utterance to his fears; for thenext moment the tree gave way with a crash, and fell to the ground,bringing the Bushman down among its branches.

  It happened that the tree, dragged down by the elephant's trunk, felltowards the animal. Swartboy even touched the elephant's body in hisdescent, and slipped down over his hind-quarters. The branches hadbroken the fall, and the Bushman was still unhurt, but he felt that hewas now quite at the mercy of his antagonist. He saw no chance of escapeby flight. He was lost!

  Just at that moment an idea entered his mind--a sort of despairinginstinct--and springing at one of the hind-legs of the quadruped, heslung his arms around it, and held fast! He at the same time planted hisnaked feet upon the sabots of those of the animal; so that, by means ofthis support, he was enabled to keep his hold, let the animal move as itwould!

  The huge mammoth, unable to shake him off, unable to get at him with histrunk--and, above all, surprised and terrified by this novel mode ofattack--uttered a shrill scream, and with tail erect and trunk high inair, dashed off into the jungle!

  Swartboy held on to the leg until fairly within the bushes; and then,watching his opportunity, he slipped gently off. As soon as he touched_terra firma_ again, he rose to his feet, and ran with all his might inan opposite direction.

  He need not have run a single step; for the elephant, as much frightenedas he, kept on through the jungle, laying waste the trees and branchesin his onward course. The huge quadruped did not stop, till he had putmany miles between himself and the scene of his disagreeable adventure!

  Von Bloom and Hendrik had by this time reloaded, and were advancing toSwartboy's rescue; but they were met right in the teeth by theswift-flying Bushman, as he returned from his miraculous escape.

  The hunters, who were now warmed to their work, proposed to follow upthe spoor; but Swartboy, who had enough of that "old rogue," declaredthat there would be not the slightest chance of again coming up with himwithout horses or dogs; and as they had neither, spooring him anyfarther would be quite useless.

  Von Bloom saw that there was truth in the remark, and now more than everdid he regret the loss of his horses. The elephant, though easilyovertaken on horseback, or with dogs to bring him to bay, can as easilyescape from a hunter on foot; and once he has made up his mind toflight, it is quite a lost labour to follow him farther.

  It was now too late in the day to seek for other elephants; and with afeeling of disappointment, the hunters gave up the chase, and turnedtheir steps in the direction of the camp.