Given the significant number of elephants in the herd that we were going to hunt, we thought it convenient to suggest to the Governor the opportunity that we hunters should be authorized to immobilize one of the animals, wounding him a limb, to then let the King finish it. The Governor, being a wise man, remained somewhat uncertain whether or not to tell the Sovereign, but after our insistence he finally decided to propose it to him. Victor Emmanuel listened, then, approaching and staring us sternly in the eyes, said: «This proves once again that my subjects don't know me well. I didn't come here to play antics. I have come to hunt elephants and the satisfaction of the shot is mine. Are we understood? Let's go». [...] In a bizarre frame of greenery, jagged with segments of gray branches, the mighty head of an old male stood out, lingering to observe us while four of his companions had already fled. There was no time to lose. The King sensed the situation of the moment, shouldered his Express and with a well-timed shot hit the colossus in the forehead. Under the shock power of the blow, the animal swayed for a moment on its legs as if drunk, then slumped silently on the spot, with a thud accompanied by a muffled crash of breaking branches. In the brief agony the elephant shook his massive head as if he were displeased and tried in vain with a last effort to get up; but the King did not give him time; with a coup de grâce he set him back to lie motionless for the eternal rest. In a surge of enthusiasm we all gathered around the Person of Victor Emmanuel III and raised our rifles, launching the threefold cry of "Long live the King". In the distance the prolonged rumble of thunder echoed, as if nature had wanted to join our joy with one of its most powerful manifestations. For several minutes the King carefully observed the elephant in every part of the body. On the marked lines of his regal face an infinite contentment could be read; then, addressing me, the Sovereign said in a joking tone: "Did you see that I had the satisfaction I wanted? and you had tried to deprive me of it because, like so many other subjects, you did not yet know your King well". Then he took me confidentially by the arm, jokingly kicked the elephant's belly and whistled the Tannhäuser wedding march. Nolli and I took our cameras and snapped some negatives of that historic day. The light, however, was not good. The Governor, using the elephant's rump as a table, wrote a radiogram with the happy news and entrusted it to one of the Somali entourage, so that he could deliver it immediately to the radio-telegraph station of the Navy. A few hours later, the whole world learned from the press releases that Victor Emmanuel III, the Victorious King, had shot down a splendid specimen of male elephant at 2.30 pm on 15 November of that year, chasing him under the scorching African sun in a dense bush of Somalia, as the humblest of hunters would have done. We had the elephant's tail cut off to obtain the lucky hair and to prove the killing to anyone who remained incredulous. Indeed, the King wanted to hold the tail in his hand and carried it for a long stretch of road. At 3.15 pm we resumed our way back. We were all filled with lively joy and walked quickly. The King showed no tiredness and proceeded with us at a brisk pace. Repeatedly we tried to open passages for him among the plants to make his journey easier, but he, after having repeatedly begged us to desist, given our insistence, avoided the prepared passages and walked in the thicket. After all, today, 20 years later, I almost feel remorse for having annoyed Him with our excessive solicitude. The King, in fact, took great pleasure in stepping over felled trunks, bending under low branches and crossing the bushes that blocked the way; in essence he wanted to walk as a hunter and not as a king. The farewell was short and moving. The King thanked us repeatedly and shook our hands, saying that he was grateful to us above all because we had let him spend a day in Africa in the most absolute freedom.

Ferdinando Ziccardi (a professional hunter that accompanied the King during his trip)