Not wishing to fire, lest I should alarm the elephant, I endeavoured to avoid him, but this was no easy task.

He advanced to within fifty paces of me, and, ploughing up the ground with his horns, and roaring, he seemed determined to make an attack.

However, I managed to pass him at length, being determined to pay him off on my return, if he were still in the same spot.
On arriving near the position of the elephant, I saw at once that it was impossible to get him: he was standing in a deep morass of great extent, backed by thick jungles, and I could not approach nearer than 150 paces.
After trying several ruses to induce him to quit his mud-bath and come on, I found it was of no use; he was not disposed to be a fighter, as he saw my strong position upon some open rising ground among some large trees.

I therefore took a rest upon the branch of a tree, and gave him a shot from the four-ounce rifle through the shoulder.

This sent him to the thick jungle with ears and trunk drooping, but produced no other effect.