Elephant Rage a True Story

Harry was waiting at base camp for his party of tourists hoping that Beverly and her children would not be rowdy. When they finally arrived, he got them settled in their tent. Once unpacked they joined him in the main area for tea. After he had explained the rules they chatted about this and that. Her children Ben and Sue were lively but very well behaved. Harry promised to take them on a safari the very next day, he said there was a waterhole a few miles away from camp. As they sat there finishing off their tea Samari ran into camp he said less than a mile away there was a solitary elephant. So they made their way carefully to where he was last seen, he had moved on into the thick bush they cautiously followed. After five hundred yards or more they could hear him nearby, suddenly the elephant screamed and charged at them. They all ran as fast as they could the ground shaking under their feet his trumpeting roars were deafening as quickly he caught up. Then Beverly and the children reached the open plains, Samari was with them and they sighed in relief at escaping. This relief was short lived when they realised Harry was missing the elephant had picked him out to follow and was gaining fast. Harry could feel him closing its breath blowing on his neck desperately he zigzagged trying to lose it to little avail. He looking back could see the bristles of it's trunk hairs then it struck him with its trunk knocking him to the floor. Harry rolled up into a ball and lay still as possible playing dead. The elephant kicked him around like a ball then caught him up and flung him in the air as Harry landed he pointed trying to scare it, upon which the elephant gored his leg with a tusk then walked away. Harry was bleeding badly he tried hard to stop the blood flow, he could see it pumping out at an alarming rate, he knew he needed help. Meantime Beverly and Samari were carefully searching for him at last Samari heard his weak whimpers and tracked him down. Quickly he tore off his shirt and bound it tightly round the leg managing to slow the blood to a trickle he radioed for help. Harry was fading in and of conciousness as Beverly cradled his head at last the Jeep arrived and he was taken to a plane and flown to hospital. Once there they operated and sewed him up, he needed six pints of blood, he thought of his mother realising he never said goodbye to her. Slowly he recovered back in England and told his mum he was sorry that in his excitement he had forgotten she immediately forgave him. When he was fit again he decided to return to Africa once more to face his fears head on as he had loved his time on the dark continent. He knew this was not the time to cower away letting his fears rule so boldly he took his courage in both hands and flew back to base. After all the measure of a person is to always face and live life and it was he and his party who had trespassed in the elephants land. A lesson well learned from then on he always carried a gun, not to hunt with, but to protect the tourists who came to see the game. " see notes about this poem"