ELEPHANTS IN SARDAH RIVER 71 



elephant is very good sport ; it does not appeal to 

 me. I know many good men who enjoy shooting 

 low pheasants; personally I prefer to miss high 

 ones. Although I have a most kind invitation 

 for next year from a charming Lieutenant- 

 Governor of a province who is noted for his great 

 shooting expeditions, I may not avail myself of it, 

 because I care not for these royal progresses, 

 which appear to me to be more suited to Fon- 

 tainebleau than to the jungles of India. 



For fifteen days we were hardly ever off an 

 elephant's back ; and I feel very tired and shaken, 

 but on the whole, apart from the failure as regards 

 sport, I have immensely enjoyed my outing, and 

 am very glad indeed to have seen at any rate 

 something of Nepal. I had never before been on 

 friendly terms with elephants; I am not sure that 



1 should ever care to trust them, but they are 

 certainly interesting animal companions. 



One sight I shall never forget thirty-three 

 huge elephants swimming in the Sardah River. 

 On the back of each, which only showed about 



2 inches above the water, stood a naked mahout, 

 and the elephants themselves played about like 

 a shoal of porpoises. Another very interesting 

 sight is to see them having their bath. The 

 mahouts make them lie down in very shallow 

 water and wash them from head to foot just as a 

 nurse washes a baby. It is curious to see these 

 huge animals lifting up one leg and then another 

 to have it well washed, blinking their eyes to 

 prevent the water splashing into them, and 

 generally behaving like naughty children who are 

 determined to give the nurse who washes them as 



