Question

at the second shot what did the elephant do ?​

Answer 1

He was tearing up bunches of grass, beating them against his knees to clean them and stuffing them into his mouth. I had halted on the road. As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him.

Answer 2

Explanation:

The moment when the narrator encounters the elephant, it's grazing harmlessly in a field. The attack of 'must' has passed off. Now it is “no more dangerous than a cow.” The narrator sees no point in shooting it anymore. Still he shoots it dead.