CHAPTER XXI.. Rescuing the Ladies From Lions--on the Way to

RESCUING THE LADIES FROM LIONS--ON THE WAY TO CAMP--FIGHT WITH A ROGUE ELEPHANT.

"It's a very short story," said Miss Boland. "We halted under this tree for a little rest, as we had been in the saddle for some time; we had no luck in hunting, all the game keeping a long distance away from us. When we reached this point we decided to turn back, and before doing so thought we would give the horses and ourselves a little rest.

"We were lying on the ground, and our horses were grazing a little distance away, when suddenly they gave a start and fled like the wind.

"Of course that brought us to our feet, and we looked around to see what had startled them. Coming straight toward us we saw three lions--and big ones they were, too. Our impulse was to spring into the tree, the lower limbs just affording us a chance to catch them and swing up. We left our rifles lying on the ground, but got into the tree safely. Oh, if we had only been able to take one of those rifles with us, we would have made short work of those fellows! The lions didn't seem to think it worth their while to pursue the horses; they stopped beneath the tree, and stayed there until you drove them away just now. And that's the whole story. They kept up a snarling and growling all night to let us know they were there, and there they have been ever since the horses went away from us."

By this time the manager had arrived with the horses; and when we told the ladies how the intelligent animals had shown us the way to rescue them, they hugged and petted the creatures as though they had been sisters who had just arrived after ten years' separation. I think Jack and Harry would willingly have been transformed into Miss Boland's horse for the sake of the caresses it received. The horses seemed delighted to find their owners again, and manifested their joy by little whinnies, and in other equine ways.

When the caressing of the horses had ended, Miss Boland referred again to the cause of their imprisonment, and said she was surprised at the persistence of the lions in staying near them so long. "I never knew," said she, "that lions were so keen after the human race; I thought their preference was for quadrupeds."

"So it is," I answered; "at least as a general thing. When lions come into one's camp they are usually in search of oxen or horses, and don't disturb human beings unless the latter happen to be in their way; but occasionally there is a lion which has tasted human flesh, and learned how easily a man can be overpowered and killed; and learned also, at the same time, that a man's flesh is excellent eating. Such a lion is apt to disdain, from that time forth, the pursuit and capture of quadrupeds; in fact, he becomes a man-eater."

"I've heard of man-eating tigers," said Mrs. Roberts, "but I don't know that I ever heard of man-eating lions. Oh yes, now you speak of it, I think Cumming mentions them in his book."

"Man-eating lions are mentioned by Cumming and some other writers," said Jack, "but they are not very prominent. Now, referring to your case, the probabilities are that one or two, and perhaps all three, of those lions that chased you into the tree were man-eaters. The fact that they stayed by and watched so long would confirm that belief; of course it is just possible that they were after the horses, and not yourselves; but as the horses ran away and you were left behind, they took whatever fate had in store for them."

"I hope you slept well in the tree," said Harry, "though the accommodations were rather poor for a night's lodging."

"Slept well!" said Mrs. Roberts. "We didn't either of us close an eye during the night; and I don't believe any one of you three could have slept had you been in our places."

Harry admitted the probable correctness of her surmise, and after a little more jocularity, to enable the ladies to forget their recent horrible predicament, the lunch being finished, we suggested a return to the wagons. The proposition was accepted, and in a few minutes we were in the saddle and away.

We reached the camp of the ladies without any incident worthy of note, and glad enough they were to be at home again. All their followers were out to greet them, and the manifestations of joy were quite in keeping with the Kafir character. They shouted and yelled and danced, and if etiquette and custom had permitted, they would have embraced their employers with tears of joy in their eyes. Mrs. Roberts suggested that we should remain with them for luncheon; but we excused ourselves by telling a few polite falsehoods, and went back to our own camp. We felt that they would prefer to be left to themselves for the rest of the day, as they had been under a great mental strain, and ought not to be submitted to the fatigue of entertaining visitors.

On our way back to our own camp we paid no attention to hunting, chiefly for the reason that we were not properly equipped for it. We had brought, in addition to revolvers, our light rifles only, which would have done good work with small game, but were quite unsuited to elephants or buffaloes. We saw a herd of elands three or four miles away--at least we supposed them to be elands, though we were not near enough to make them out. When within about a mile of camp we saw an elephant--and a big one he was--standing under a large tree fully half a mile distant from any other protection, the nearest trees being the forest that skirted the river.

Of course we were all eager to go in pursuit of that beast, and hurried on to camp as fast as we could. I was the first to see the elephant, and therefore the choice of first shot was given to me. I took my heaviest rifle, buckled my cartridge-case around my waist, and started in the direction of the elephant, Mirogo and Kalil following, with instructions not to keep too close to me--an instruction which they were very likely to obey; in fact, I think they would have preferred to remain in camp and hear about the hunt later. Harry and Jack kept about a quarter of a mile behind me, ready to bear a hand in case of necessity.

The beast was there just as we had left him, not having moved a yard. Not another elephant was in sight, and I speedily made up my mind that the creature was what is called a "rogue." Perhaps you do not know what a rogue elephant is. Well, he is an elephant that for some reason--nobody knows why--has become separated from his herd, and is not allowed to rejoin it. Should he seek to come into any herd of elephants, all will turn upon him and drive him away. He seems to be an outcast, like a man who has been cut by all his acquaintances and is positively forbidden to enter decent society anywhere. All the other elephants seem to know him, and shun him. When elephants are driven into a corral and captured, if a rogue happens to be among them, the captives, while caressing and condoling with one another, keep as far as possible away from the unfortunate pariah.

Whether his temper has been injured by this treatment, or whether the treatment has been caused by his bad temper, I am unable to say; but certain it is that the rogue elephant is far more vicious than the herd elephant. In cultivated regions, where the elephants sometimes destroy the gardens of the natives by coming in the night and eating up growing things, a rogue elephant will do ten times as much damage as any other; and when it comes to fighting, he will fight as long as breath remains.

Fully convinced that the animal which I was after belonged to the rogue species, I approached him with great caution. I was careful in getting to leeward of him, to prevent his catching my wind; and it so happened that a leeward position placed the trunk of the tree between me and the creature's head. There was an advantage and a disadvantage in this. The advantage was that he could not sight me, while there was this disadvantage--that I was cut off from my favorite shot. The reader already knows that my favorite place for planting a heavy bullet in an elephant is between the eye and ear. I was cut off from this by the tree, and the next best shot I could get was behind the shoulder.

My horse entered into the spirit of the business very well; he saw the elephant and knew what I was after. I had some difficulty in repressing in him a desire to snort, which would have aroused the game at once and revealed his danger. I patted him on the neck and encouraged him, and he kept on until I was within about thirty-five yards of the tree.

I dismounted, took steady aim just back of the fore-shoulder, and fired. Then, without waiting to see the effect of my shot, I sprang into the saddle; my horse whirled as if on a pivot, and darted away as fast as his legs could carry him.

The elephant's being behind the tree, and obliged to turn to come out from beneath it, gave me a little start, but not much. I think that just about as my horse began his flight the elephant started on in pursuit. He trumpeted viciously. I looked back over my shoulder, and saw his trunk elevated in the air, and the animal coming on at full speed. The ground at this point was pretty nearly level, and comparatively free from bushes or other growths. Glancing back every few moments, I could see that the elephant was gaining on me, and I must try some sort of tactics to escape him.

An eighth of a mile or so away to the right there was a little hill; I pulled on my bridle-rein and made for the hill. "If I can get to that hill all right," I said to myself, "I'll have this old brute in a box."

I reached the hill, and as I went up the elephant lost distance. In an uphill chase a horse, even with a rider, can out-run an elephant; but when it is a downhill race the elephant has the best of it.

When about half-way up the hill I checked my horse a little, so as to let my pursuer get nearer. Then I turned and went around the hill, the elephant following me. A side-hill is not a good place for a man to run upon, nor is it good for horse or elephant; but it is much worse for the elephant than for either of the other two.

My horse made very good time going around the hill, but not so the elephant. His legs were so short in proportion to his body that it was very difficult for him to brace himself. He screamed with rage, evidently realizing the predicament into which he had been drawn. I reduced my speed, bringing the horse to a halt, and then I took shot after shot at my pursuer, vainly endeavoring to hit the one spot in the front of his head where he is vulnerable. I turned and faced him, letting him come within twenty yards of me, then gave him another shot, and turned my horse down the hill.

It was the elephant's turn to think he had me now, as he whirled and followed at a great rate. Before reaching the foot of the hill I turned my horse quickly to one side, and the elephant, unable to stop, went crashing by me, giving me a chance to plant a couple of bullets behind his shoulder.

Then I wheeled and went a little way up the hill, and next made a quarter-turn to go around it again. There were places on the hill which were steeper than others, and I led my pursuer into the worst spots I could find. One of them was altogether too much for him, his legs on one side being so much heavier than those on the other that he lost his balance, rolled over on his side, and kept on rolling and sliding till he reached the bottom of the hill. If he had been an ordinary herd elephant I think he would have given up at this point, and made off as fast as he could; but with his unusually ugly disposition he was not discouraged at the mishap, but resumed his pursuit of me as soon as he got to his feet.

I may remark by the way that not only is the elephant an unwieldy beast on a side-hill, but a loaded one is very unwieldy when ascending a steep hill. Of course we do not have loaded elephants in Africa, where the animal is not domesticated; but in Asia they are a very common sight. It has happened, and by no means infrequently, when troops have been marching in the mountain regions of India with their heavy baggage carried on the backs of elephants, that the huge beasts have tumbled over backward while ascending steep hills. Observe the next elephant you see in a menagerie, or look at the picture of one, and you will see that his hind legs have a bent and weak appearance, which makes them, at least to the eye, shorter than the forelegs. With his weak hind legs, and a large portion of his body lying aft of his waist, the poor creature has all he can do to keep from going over when ascending a steep incline without any burden whatever. Place a heavy load upon his back, and his equilibrium is gone.