Select the verbal irony in the passage.
As I started forward practically the whole population of the quarter flocked out of
the houses and followed me. They had seen the rifle and were all shouting
excitedly that I was going to shoot the elephant. They had not shown much
interest in the elephant when he was merely ravaging their homes, but it was
different now that he was going to be shot. It was a bit of fun to them, as it
would be to an English crowd; besides they wanted the meat.