A CHECK. 219 



grass till 12 a.m., when we came regularly to fault, as the thickets we were 

 now in had been much trampled a month before by herd-elephants, and the 

 rogue had wandered from one path to another in a most puzzling way. I 

 have much too great an opinion of the Kurrabas to suppose they would not 

 have worked out the trail sooner or later ; but at this moment the rogue 

 relieved us of all further trouble as to tracking, by trumpeting, or rather 

 squeaking, in some high grass about two hundred yards back on the track 

 we had just come ! This illustrates the necessity of sportsmen and their 

 followers observing the greatest caution, and never speaking or moving 

 without circumspection, after entering the jungles. One cannot tell where 

 any animal may or may not be. Here was a case : the elephant had 

 wandered about, and had finally lain down close to his tracks, but in thick 

 cover. His original track led past where he now was, and we had all passed 

 him within a few feet unknown to him and to ourselves. Had my party 

 been advancing incautiously, thinking that as the trackers were ahead the 

 elephant must be so also, where should we have been had he suddenly burst 

 into our midst ? Such an attack is sure to demoralise one's men, and some 

 accident would have been pretty nearly certain to occur in the confusion. 

 Fortunately the wind was all right, and we had passed him without being 

 either seen or heard. The sound he now made was merely a squeak of 

 caprice as he got on to his legs after his mid-day snooze. 



When the rogue trumpeted my men were greatly excited. Here we were 

 face to face with the man-slayer ! They could hardly speak, but I knew 

 this was not from fear ; often when more of a novice I have felt the same. 

 It is excessive excitement, with, of course, a certain amount of apprehension. 

 This all vanishes when the game is actually at the end of one's rifle, and I 

 saw it was the same with Bettay and Birram, my gun-bearers, when we 

 subsequently got up to the elephant. I gave them a minute or two to get 

 cool, told them to stick close to me, and to mind not to clink the guns 

 together, and then ordered the Kurrabas to advance. 



Old Poojaree, who was always ready for dangerous work, now took 

 the lead. We pushed through dangerously thick stuff, where I expected to 

 hear the elephant's war-trumpet every moment, and to have him burst out 

 on us ; but fortunately we had the wind, and the unconscious monster stood 

 unaware of the fact that enemies were at hand. 



We were within ten yards of him before we could make him out, and 

 he then only appeared as a dark mass in the young bamboo and grass 

 in which he was standing. There was fortunately a good breeze blowing, 

 which made sufficient noise amongst the branches to cover our approach ; 

 but it was impossible to get near enough, even with this advantage, for the 



