32 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



refreshment, which the curnam or head man of the 

 village was polite enough to offer us, we again set 

 out en route, and after a tramp of three hours by a 

 jungle path reached our destination. The village 

 consisted of only seven bamboo and grass huts : 

 but no sooner did the inhabitants understand that 

 I was going to remain in that neighbourhood, than 

 they all, men, women, and children, turned out to 

 cut bamboos and gather dry leaves and long grass, 

 for the construction of a hut, under Chineah's 

 directions. 



Whilst these preparations for passing the night 

 were being made, two men of the Mulcher village, 

 who had just returned with a load of roots which 

 they had gathered for food in the jungle, came up 

 with the intelligence that they had been chased by 

 a ro^ue elephant that afternoon near a shallow tank 

 about a coss distance. Although somewhat fatigued 

 with my long walk, as it yet wanted a couple of 

 hours to sunset, I determined to go after him, and 

 leaving Chineah in charge of the camp, accom- 

 panied by Googooloo and the Gooroo carrying 

 spare guns, I set out under the guidance of the 



