ELEPHANT HUNTING. 331 



streams, we with some difficulty gained the vicinity of a re- 

 markably abrupt opening in the range, which through a tele- 

 scope appeared to afford a practicable road to the northward. 

 .Both our wagons stuck fast in the Saut river, and were with 

 difficulty extricated by the united efforts of the teams. The 

 heat was intense, not a breath stirred ; the heavy black clouds 

 fast collecting bade us prepare for a deluge. We therefore 

 formed the camp in an elevated and sheltered position, under 

 the lee of a high stone inclosure, which only required the 

 entrance to be closed with bushes to make a secure pound for 

 the cattle. Scarcely were these arrangements completed, 

 when a stream of liquid fire ran along the ground, and a deaf- 

 ening thunder-clap exploding above us, was instantly followed 

 by a torrent of rain which came not in drops, but in continuous 

 streams, and with indiscribable violence, during the greater 

 part of the night ; the thunder now receding and rumbling 

 less and less distinctly, but more incessantly, among the dis- 

 tant mountains now pealing in echoes over the distant hills, 

 and returning to burst with redoubled violence over our heads. 



The horses and oxen were presently standing knee-deep in 

 water ; our followers remained sitting all night in the bag- 

 gage wagon, which, being covered, fortunately resisted the 

 pitiless storm. Sleep, however, was out of the question, the 

 earth actually threatened to give way under us, the lightning 

 being so painfully vivid that we were glad to hide our heads 

 under the pillow. 



Those only who have witnessed the setting in of the south- 

 west monsoon in India are capable of understanding the 

 awful tempest I have attempted to describe. About an hour 

 before dawn its fury began to abate, and at sunrise it was 

 perfectly fine, but the rivers were quite impassable. Pro- 

 ceeding to reconnoitre the pass, we found that it was impass- 

 able for wagons, being nothing more than a narrow channel 

 flanked by perpendicular crags, between which the Saut river 

 rushes on its way to join the Singkling, making a number 



