So the final part of the story is what happened after the shot. There were 20 elephants that immediately got upset after the shot. I have seen bulls shot and the rest of the group would leave. There's something very different about shooting cows. This group collapsed towards the downed tuskless on high alert. One of the most impressive things about elephant is how they can be totally silent or they can come in like King Kong and level everything. The sound of this group was astonishing. Their ears were wide...their trunks were held high like periscopes...it became obvious; they were looking for us!
Alan grabbed my shirt and pulled me backwards. He said reload quickly and at this point I realized my lever gun had turned into an expensive single shot. I pushed a round into the mag tube and it fell forward to the end of the mag tube. I pushed another in and got the same result. I lifted the muzzle and the rounds slid backwards with a plunk. My magazine tube spring was crushed. I didn't tell Alan but I thought, well I get one shot and Alan has his 458. I knew there was nothing more I could do about the rifle so I just focused on the changing environment as trees were falling in front of us.
We got back to a small termite mound and Alan said let's stay quiet and still. Thankfully we had the wind. We watched the group grumble and scream as dirt and branches flew up in the air. Alan looked at me and I said this is exciting (understatement of the year). He smiled and nodded and we turned back to watch the show. I will never forget the sound and the power of that group of elephants. After some time, Alan said this isn't going to end today. Let's come back tomorrow. The next morning we returned to find the area flattened, like bombs had gone off. I would say that hunting cow ele in herds is one of the most dangerous hunts in Africa. If you are looking for adrenaline...look no further and bring a better rifle than I did!
