chap. XII. A JUNGLE TRIP. 2X'/ 



The worst of this country was the swarm of mosqui- 

 toes which feci upon us at night ; it was impossible to 

 sleep with the least degree of comfort, and we always 

 hailed the arrival of morning with delight. 



Nov. 20.- -At dawn this morning, before daylight 

 could be caUed complete, Palliser had happened to 

 look out from the tent, and to his surprise he saw a 

 rogue elephant just retreating to the jungle, at about 

 two hundred yards distance. We loaded the guns and 

 went after him in as short a time as possible, but he 

 was too quick for us, and he had retreated to thick jun- 

 gle before we were out. Wortley and I then strolled 

 along the edge of the jungle, hoping to find him again 

 in some of the numerous nooks which the plain formed 

 by running up the forest. We had walked quietly 

 along for about half a mile, when we crossed an abrupt 

 rocky promontory, which stretched from the jungle into 

 the lake like a ruined pier. On the other side, the lake 

 formed a small bay, shaded by the forest, which was 

 separated from the water's edge by a gentle slope ol 

 turf about fifty yards in width. This bay was a shel- 

 tered spot, and as we crossed the rocky promontory, 

 the noise that we made over the loose stones in turn- 

 ing the corner, disturbed a herd of six deer, five of 

 whom dashed into the jungle ; the sixth stopped for a 

 moment at the edge of the forest to take a parting look 

 at us. He was the buck of the herd, and carried a 

 noble pair of antlers : he was about a hundred and 



