QUEER ADVENTURE WITH A CROCODILE. 137 



On the third day we visited the scene of the death of one 

 of the Colonel's tigers, in hopes of further success, as the 

 place was considered one of the best finds in the Doon ; but 

 this time we drew it blank. It was a long narrow swamp 

 filled with flag-grass (called " putteyr "), which grew nearly 

 as high as the elephants' pads, and almost surrounded with 

 tree-jungle, altogether about as perfect a bit of ground for 

 holding a tiger as could be desired. 



On one occasion when beating through this swamp, we 

 had a funny adventure with a crocodile, which afforded us 

 some sport, such as it was, and considerable merriment. 

 The creature was lying among the flags, apparently taking 

 a snooze, for it either paid no attention to or did not 

 observe the approaching elephants, so I resolved to wake it 

 up with a charge of buckshot on its cranium. On receiving 

 the shot, it for the moment seemed stunned, but soon 

 managed to wriggle its body into the soft mud among the 

 roots of the flags, leaving only its tail visible, when a bright 

 idea suggested itself to one of the Goorklias who were with 

 us. Thinking the animal was dead, or nearly so, he proposed 

 that he should fasten a rope to its tail, and then make one 

 of the elephants haul it out. He accordingly proceeded to 

 carry out his plan, which was more easily conceived than 

 executed ; for on his attempting to slip a noose over the tail, 



I the creature gave it a violent and an unexpected wag, which 

 somewhat disconcerted his arrangements and startled him 

 considerably. At length, however, after repeated failures, 

 which elicited many jocular remarks from his comrades, he 

 succeeded in making fast the noose. Having tied the other 

 end of the rope to one of the elephant's pads, we gave the 

 word to pull, when away went the elephant, dragging after 

 it the saurian, which now, having seemingly recovered its 

 wits, was struggling frantically, and making abortive at- 

 tempts to turn round and seize the rope between the well- 

 armed jaws it kept snapping together with a loud noise. 

 The creature was hauled on to an open spot, and finished 





