The Elephant 73 



terrible assailant. I called to the other elephant-keepers, 

 but they had all gone with their animals, I knew not 

 whither, on the first alarm. 



" Meanwhile Ghassee Ram was left quite alone to deal 

 with the enraged beast. Of course we talked to him 

 all the time, and were prepared to rush in and fire, as 

 well as we could, if he called upon us to do so. Every 

 chance, however, would have been against our disabling 

 the elephant, who, maddened by such wounds as he might 

 have received, would have worked untold destruction dur- 

 ing the long dark hours of a moonless night. To the 

 pluck of Ghassee Ram must be ascribed the avoidance of 

 such a calamity. In a few minutes, which seemed an age, 

 the mahout called out that we might advance. We did so, 

 and never shall I forget the weirdness of the scene that 

 was lighted up by the bright rays of the lamp I carried. 



" Under the tree, and with his back to its stem, towered 

 the dark form of the elephant, whilst his mahout, a mere 

 speck, stood a little to his right. No other living being 

 was visible, but close to the animal, on the opposite side 

 from Ghassee Ram, lay a small, shapeless object, which a 

 second glance showed to be the missing man. The ele- 

 phant, with his ears raised, seemed to be keeping guard 

 over his victim, and would probably kill any one who should 

 attempt to remove the body, which lay within reach of his 

 trunk. Still, this must be done, and at once, for life might 

 yet be lingering in the shattered frame. I therefore gave 

 the hurricane lamp to the mahout, and ordered him to 

 swing it up in the elephant's face, and call out his name 

 at the same time. Ghassee Ram, from the long habit of 



