. Lake Ngami, or, Explorations and discoveries during four years' wanderings in the wilds of southwestern Africa . f 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 should
. Lake Ngami, or, Explorations and discoveries during four years' wanderings in the wilds of southwestern Africa . f 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 momenthis broad fore feet passed directly over my face. 406 MORE CLOSE THAN M 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 flre. 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,
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