A DETERMINED FEMALE. 165 



trouble. The stockade was then begun without delay, the coolies working 

 all night in cutting the requisite poles and young trees for building it, and 

 by afternoon of the 31st all was in readiness. The surround was not large, 

 and the situation of the kheddah between two hills was a good one, so we 

 managed to drive the elephants in at the first attempt. There were only 

 thirteen, but seven of them were tuskers, three of these being very large. 

 The two that form the subjects of illustrations of the Jcoomeriah and meerga 

 castes of elephants were among them, and were photographed for me by a 

 friend when I reached Chittagong. 



The kheddah had been made small to save time and we were now 

 afraid that so many tuskers might force the stockade, so all hands were set 

 to work to construct a second barrier in support of the first. This consisted, 

 like the inner one, of uprights twelve feet high, about six inches in diameter, 

 and supported by sloping props, the whole laced together with strips of 

 cane. However, we might have saved ourselves this trouble, as the tuskers 

 made no attempts upon the stockade. One female became troublesome 

 after dark, and large fires were lighted all round, whilst men stood ready 

 with lighted bamboo torches to repel her charges. She was certainly a most 

 determined beast, and woultL-iiave formed a fine subject for a Landseer or a 

 Weir as she stalked round, occasionally standing with one foot poised in 

 irresolution, as the points where she was seen to meditate an attack bristled 

 with torches and sharp bamboos. Two or three times she strode across the 

 narrow trench along the foot of the barricade, and thrust at it in a way that 

 made it bend and shake for some distance on each side of the point of 

 attack, but from the toughness and pliability of the structure it was never 

 in danger. It was not until she had been severely burnt, and had also 

 in turn injured one of the men by striking the torch he was holding into 

 his face, that she desisted. I lodged three ounces of No. 4 shot in her 

 cranium, fired at about a yard's distance, during her charges at the barrier. 

 I sat on the stockade under shelter of an overhanging bough, watching the 

 elephants until far into the night. The scene was a very wild one. The 

 huge beasts impounded in so small an enclosure, the crackling and blazing 

 fires all round, lighting up the trees to their topmost branches, and the 

 ready shouts and challenges with winch any of their movements were met 

 by the watchful hunters, formed so exciting a scene that sleep was out of 

 the question. The largest tusker kept the other males in a state of great 

 disquiet. When he made the round of the kheddah at a slow, majestic 

 pace, the commotion amongst his juniors was tremendous ; and though keep- 

 ing out of his way, they made vicious prods at the ones smaller than them- 

 selves. He, however, behaved most magnanimously, only punishing the 



