The passage summarizes George Orwell's short story "Shooting an Elephant". It describes how Orwell, as a police officer in Moulmein, Burma, receives a call about an elephant running loose. Though he doesn't know what to do, he takes his gun and rides to the other side of town. There, a large crowd has gathered but the elephant is nowhere to be found. Orwell discusses feeling conflicted about his role as a hated police officer and the moral issues with his job.