A narrow river, with steep banks of twenty feet in height, bordered the edge, and I got a shot at a large elephant just as he arrived upon the brink of the chasm.
He was fifty paces off, but I hit him in the temple with the four-ounce, and rolled him down the precipitous bank into the river.

Here he lay groaning; so, taking the little gun, with one barrel still loaded, I extinguished him from the top of the bank.
Oh, for half-a-dozen loaded guns! I was now unloaded, and the fun began in real earnest.

The herd pushed for a particular passage down the steep bank.

It was like a rush at the door of the Opera; they jostled each other in a confused melee, and crossed the river with the greatest difficulty.

By some bad luck Palliser and Wortley only killed one as the herd was crossing the river, but they immediately disappeared in pursuit, as the elephants, having effected their passage, retreated in thick jungle on the other side.
I was obliged to halt to load, which I did as quickly as possible.
While I was ramming the balls down, I heard several shots fired in quick succession, and when loaded, I ran on with my gun-bearers towards the spot.
It was bad, thorny jungle, interspersed with numerous small glades of fine turf.
Upon arriving in one of these glades, about a quarter of a mile beyond the river, I saw a crowd of gun-bearers standing around some person lying upon the ground.