292 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



usually bathe before they drink, and when the 

 water is not deep enough, they draw it up into 

 their trunks, and refresh themselves, by spouting 

 it over their* bodies. The buffaloes come next ; 

 after having satisfied their thirst, they amuse 

 themselves by lying down in the water, and 

 playing and tumbling about. The tigers and 

 the bears also take their separate turns, and 

 towards morning, the wild boars and deer, and 

 other smaller beasts. It is for these that the 

 hunters generally adopt this plan, which, how- 

 ever, is exposed to more dangers than one, for 

 there are instances of elephants falling into the 

 pits and crushing the people ; and even of 

 tigers and buffaloes having discovered them by 

 their scent. To avoid such misfortunes, the 

 hunters go in parties, and one person is placed 

 in some secure position, to warn the others, 

 and to frighten away the straggling animals that 

 come too near, by firing upon them, or throwing 

 rockets. Colonel Travers and his companions 

 joined a party of this kind, and here is his 

 history of it. 



" We were called at two o'clock, and having 

 carefully loaded our pieces, and filled our pouches 

 with cartridges, we slowly advanced along the 

 river. At a distance on the other side, the noise 

 of various animals was echoed deep and terrible 

 through the forest; and we heard, in almost 

 every watery place around us, rustling and mo- 



