... don't piss a jumbo off.

Extract from the book - which in turn is an extract from Dennis Croukamp's book:

The Bush War In Rhodesia: The Extraordinary Combat Memoir of a Rhodesian Reconnaissance Specialist


... Shortly before dark, the five-man patrol appeared. One member of the patrol was covered in blood down one side of his head and body, and the Lance Corporal had his arm in a sling. Everyone tried to explain at once about what had transpired, but because everyone was talking at the same time trying to give their version of events, it was somewhat confusing at first.

After a while Penrose told everyone to shut up and we were then given a blow by blow run-down of what had taken place. Walking down a game trail along the thickly wooded riverbank with the Stick Commander, L/Cpl Penrose (Pinball), in front, the patrol observed a light aircraft repeatedly buzzing an area slightly to the east and ahead of them. With some concern about the low-flying plane disturbing and upsetting the larger game, Pinball was being a little more cautious than usual.

Even so, going around a bend where a large bush had obscured the trail ahead, he came face to face with a tuskless elephant. The elephant started charging and Pinball immediately did an about turn and tried to run away from the elephant. Pinball reckoned the problem came about because he had to run around the bush that he previously had walked around. The elephant simply ran through it. Pinball said that as he ran he felt its trunk running up and down his back as it felt for a grip. With the patrol’s change of direction he was now at the back of it, with Jumbo in hot pursuit.

It did not take long for the beast to grab him around the body, at first lifting him as if in a circus act, before pushing him into the ground, fortunately soft ground. Pinball voicing his objections to this unwanted and rather rough treatment drew the attention of his pal and companion, Pieta Pitman. Pitman responded to the screams for help and ran back to assist Pinball. Doing a bit of a dogleg, he approached the animal from the side.

For fear of shooting and injuring his pal who was now nearly under the elephant’s feet, he boldly moved up and gave the elephant a swift blow to its side using the butt of his rifle, but without any response from the elephant. When a second blow to its side also brought no reaction from the elephant, Pitman stepped forward and gave it a further whack in its ear hole.

He said that when he stepped forward, the creature’s one eye was looking directly at him and it scared the $hit out of him. It looked both cross and evil. When the blow to its ear landed, the elephant let its grounded victim go and side swiped the rescuer, flinging him over a bush, so that he landed some ten metres away. Pitman landed in a cloud of dust, completely winded. Getting his breath back he called to Pinball as the latter had gone quiet and he did not know if Pinball was all right. The elephant by now had wandered off.

Once the two had reunited and were satisfied that the danger had passed, they started looking for the others. The delay at getting to the RV was because it took the two of them over an hour to find the other three patrol members...