. Lake Ngami; or, Explorations and discoveries during four years' wanderings in the wilds of southwestern Africa . of my rifle over the skarm, my body caught his eye, and,before I could place the piece to my shoulder, he swung him-self round, and with trunk elevated and ears spread, desper-ately charged me. It was now too late to think of flight,much less of slaying the savage beast. My own life was inimminent jeopardy; and seeing that, if I remained partiallyerect, he would inevitably seize me with his proboscis, Ithrew myself on my back with some violence, in whichposition, and without shoul
. Lake Ngami; or, Explorations and discoveries during four years' wanderings in the wilds of southwestern Africa . of my rifle over the skarm, my body caught his eye, and,before I could place the piece to my shoulder, he swung him-self round, and with trunk elevated and ears spread, desper-ately charged me. It was now too late to think of flight,much less of slaying the savage beast. My own life was inimminent jeopardy; and seeing that, if I remained partiallyerect, he would inevitably seize me with his proboscis, Ithrew myself on my back with some violence, in whichposition, and without shouldering the rifle, I fired upward atrandom toward his chest, uttering at the same time the mostpiercing shouts and cries. The change of position, in allhuman probability, saved my life; for, at the same instant,the trunk of the enraged animal descended precisely on thespot where I had been previously couched, sweeping awaythe stones (many of a large size) that formed the fore partof my skarm like so many pebbles. In another momentliis broad fore feet passed directly over my face. 406 MORE CLOSE THAN EXCITING SPORT. 407 I now expected nothing short of being crushed to imagine my relief when, instead of renewing the charge,he swerved to the left, and moved off with considerable rapid-ity, most happily without my having received other injuriesthan a few bruises, occasioned by the falling of the Providence, I attribute my extraordinary escape tothe confusion of the animal, caused by the wound I had in-flicted on him, and to the cries elicited from me when in myutmost need. Immediately after the elephant had left me I was on mylegs, and, snatching up a spare rifle lying at hand, I pointedat him as he was retreating, and pulled the trigger; but, tomy intense mortification, the piece missed fire. It was mat-ter of thankfulness to me, however, that a similar mishap hadnot occurred when the animal charged; for, had my gun notthen exploded, nothing, as I
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