Colonel Hardy. 67 



sovereignty of the Dutch, were accustomed to take in 

 pitfalls the elephants which they rendered as tribute to 

 Government. 



A fact illustrative at once of the caution and the spirit 

 of curiosity with which an elephant regards an unaccus- 

 tomed object has been frequently mentioned to me by 

 the officers engaged in opening ro3.ds through the forest. 

 On such occasions the wooden " tracing pegs " which 

 they drive into the ground to mark the levels taken 

 during the day, will often be withdrawn by the elephants 

 during the night, to such an extent as frequently to render 

 it necessary to go over the work a second time, in order 

 to replace them.^ 



Colonel Hardv, formerly Deputy Quarter-Master- 

 General in Ceylon, when proceeding, about the year 

 1820, to a military out-post in the south-east of the island, 

 imprudently landed in an uninhabited part of the coast, 

 intending to take a short cut through the forest, to his 

 destination. He both miscalculated distance and time, 

 and, on the approach of nightfall, he was chased by a 

 vicious rogue elephant. The pursuer was close upon 

 him, when, to gain time, he flung down a dressing-case, 

 which he happened to be carrying. The device Avas 

 successful ; the elephant halted, broke it open, and 

 minutely examined its contents, and thus gave the 

 colonel time to effect his escape.^ 



' Private Letter from Dr. Davy, of an elephant which infested the Raja- 

 author of An Account of the hiterior walle coffee plantation, in the vicinity 

 0/ Ceylon. of Kandy. Its object seemed to be less 



^ The Colombo Observer for March the search for food, than the satisfying 



1858, contains an offer of a reward of of its curiosity and the gratification of 



twenty-five guineas for the destruction its passion for mischief. Mr. Tvtler, 



