A TROUBLESOME TUSKER. 117 



I told the riders of our tuskers to set their elephants at him if he gave 

 more trouble. Amongst them was one called Jairam, not taller than the 

 wild elephant, and with the disadvantage of having blunt tusks ; but he 

 was of a most warlike temperament amongst his own kind, though remark- 

 ably gentle and good-tempered to his keepers and strangers. It had been 

 necessary to restrain him hitherto from attacking the wild tusker, but I now 

 gave his rider permission to gratify Jairam if the wild elephant required 

 chastisement. Whilst we were at work that day in the kheddah I heard 

 the clash of meeting tusks, and a tremendous scuffling behind me. I turned 

 and beheld the valorous Jairam with the wild tusker's head jammed between 

 his tusks, whilst he ran him rapidly backwards towards the trench, urged 

 on by his delighted rider. The scuffling of even a pair of bullocks makes 

 a considerable noise ; that created by struggling elephants may be imagined. 

 The tusker having got Ins head into chancery could do nothing but run 

 back to clear himself. He fortunately managed to do this when just on 

 the brink of the trench, and made his escape, pursued round the enclosure 

 for some minutes by the gallant Jairam, who, amidst the plaudits of all, 

 added to the tusker's discomfiture by administering some nasty prods 

 behind whenever he could catch him. I sent for some money and rewarded 

 the mahout before the spectators, as his position had been a highly dangerous 

 one during the tilting - match. Mahouts are always pleased when their 

 elephants deserve commendation, and Jairam had a double allowance of 

 grain and a large bundle of sugar-cane that evening as a mark of his 

 master's approbation. The wild tusker was thoroughly cowed by this 

 encounter ; and it was amusing to see the riders of the elephants told off 

 to guard whilst the others were engaged in tying the captives, jockeying 

 the late combatant round the enclosure when he did anything which 

 afforded them an excuse for administering correction. 



One great piece of excitement was the capture of a single male elephant 

 in the elephant-lines. Unfortunately I was the only spectator amongst our 

 party. I was just getting up at dawn one morning when a mahout rushed 

 into my tent saying, " Wild elephant, wild elephant !" and away he went 

 again. The word he used for elephant might mean one or any number, 

 and imagining a herd must have come, and was threatening interference 

 with our captives, I ran down to the elephant - lines just as I was, in 

 my flannel sleeping-suit. I found the men unshackling three of our 

 best females, and seizing spare ropes, and they now told me that a single 

 male elephant was amongst the new ones picketed across the river. I 

 jumped on to Dowlutpea.ry behind the mahout. We only had girth-ropes 

 on her, no pads, and not even dark-coloured blankets to cover ourselves. 



