chap. ix. CATCHING AN ELEPHANT. aog 



at dawn to look for elephants, the guns were cleaned, 

 and I looked forward to the return of the trackers 

 with peculiar interest, as we had determined to ' catch 

 an elephant! The Moormen were all full of excite- 

 ment and preparation. These men were well prac- 

 tised in this sport, and they were soon busied in 

 examining and coiling their hide ropes for the pur- 

 pose. 



At about mid-day the trackers returned, having 

 found a herd about five miles from the village. We 

 were all ready, and we set off without a moment's 

 delay, our party consisting of my brother, myself, four 

 gun-bearers, and about thirty Moormen, each of whom 

 carried a coil of finely-twisted rope made of thongs of 

 raw deer's hide ; these ropes were each twenty yards 

 in length, and about an inch in diameter. 



Having skirted the borders of the tank for about 

 three miles, we turned into the forest, and continued 

 our route through alternate open and thick forest, 

 until we at length reached a rough, open country, 

 interspersed with low jungles. Here we met the 

 watchers, who reported the herd to be a few hundred 

 paces from us in some patches of thick jungle. Taking 

 the wind, we carefully approached their position. The 

 ground was very rough, being a complete city of ant- 

 hills about two feet high ; these were overgrown with 

 grass, giving the open country an appearance of a vast 

 churchyard of turf graves. Among these tumps grew 



