204 A TROUBLESOME COUGH. 



bread-and-butter, the trackers took their snacks of nigi-bread. This viand is 

 not more seductive to the taste, nor pleasant to the eye, than an old shoe- 

 sole, but it is the common travelling food of the working classes in Mysore, 

 when they have not time to prepare a regular meal. 



Bommay Gouda, who had the ordering of the attack, now sent on the 

 two Sholagas, whilst he, myself, and Jaffer, who carried my second rifle, 

 followed. The men with the tiffin-basket and pony were left behind, with 

 orders to join us when they heard shots. We had only gone a short dis- 

 tance when a faint trumpet away to our left attracted our attention. The 

 elephants were in the cover where the Sholagas expected to find them, so we 

 hurried on with less caution, as they were at some distance. I found it 

 necessary to send the old Sholaga tracker back to join the men with the 

 pony, as he began to be troubled by a cough, which I knew from consider- 

 able experience of natives would break out at the most inopportune moment. 

 I found out subsequently, in other hunts, that the old fellow was always 

 similarly afflicted when we got near formidable game ! He confided to 

 me, after we had been longer acquainted, that he was not so active as he 

 once was, and that he mistrusted his powers of escaping from an elephant 

 by flight ; and as his duty was really over when he brought me and my 

 "un-bearers up to game, I gave him standing permission to fall back before 

 ficrhting commenced, which proved a panacea for his malady. 



The elephants were in a thick piece of jungle through which a sandy 

 nullah wound its way ; it was about fifteen yards wide, quite dry, with high 

 banks. Hiding ourselves on the side from which we approached, we heard 

 the elephants feeding in the thick jungle on the opposite bank. The branches 

 of trees were bent down now and again, or an occasional trunk was raised 

 to reach the tender leaves, but as it was nearly mid-day the elephants were 

 quite hidden from view. Occasionally a squeak of pleasure from the young 

 ones, or deep grumblings from the big ones, were heard. I had never been 

 near wild elephants before, and I felt the pleasurable excitement that attends 

 a young sportsman's first encounter with new and formidable game. 



We sat in cover for some time, hoping the elephants would make a 

 move, but they seemed inclined to rest in their cool retreat, and showed no 

 signs of emerging from it for some time. At last I could no longer restrain 

 my wish to see an elephant in his wild haunts, so whispering to Jaffer to 

 keep near with my second rifle I got quietly into the nullah, and walking 

 noiselessly over the soft sand, brought my head to the level of the opposite 

 bank. I peered through the bushes ; it was much easier to see under than 

 through them, and my eyes were immediately greeted with the sight of the 

 legs and feet of several elephants. One was within eight yards of me. 



