CANE-BRAKES. 191 



the scent by smartly tapping the ground with their trunks, 

 from which they at the same time emitted a peculiar metallic 

 sound and the noisy commotion among the jungle-fowl, and 

 a troop of monkeys that were chattering and gibbering away 

 as they swung themselves from branch to branch in the trees, 

 which also betokened the presence of Madam Stripes in the 

 vicinity, we failed to find her. The jungle was so thick and 

 tangled that our progress was necessarily very slow, which 

 delay she had evidently taken advantage of to slink away. 



All hope of finding the tigress being at an end, we pro- 

 ceeded to cross the Ganges where it was fordable by the 

 elephants, and commenced beating up the cane-brakes, or 

 " bent jungles " as they are commonly called. The canes in 

 these brakes have a remarkably beautiful appearance, grow- 

 ing in widespread tangled masses, or trailing in graceful 

 festoons from the trees, their glossy dark-green fronds re- 

 sembling drooping plumes of feathers. But of all bad ground 

 for a line of elephants to get over, commend me to a bent 

 jungle as being the worst. The canes are so closely inter- 

 woven, and so covered with strong hooked thorns, and the 

 places they grow in are so soft and swampy, that it is some- 

 times quite impossible for an elephant ^to force its way 

 through them. For dislodging tigers from such spots, a kind 

 of firework called anar, which makes a deal of noise and 

 smoke, is used. But even this often fails to drive them fairly 

 out of these sanctuaries, in which they are very fond of lying 

 up during the intense heat of the day. 



It has been said that of the risks run in tiger -shooting 

 from elephants, the danger from the tiger itself is the smallest. 

 This is a matter of opinion. But there is no doubt about there 

 being other dangers quite as great attending this sport that 

 from a timid elephant being about the worst ; for if an 

 animal of this kind gets thoroughly terrified and bolts among 

 tree jungle, the consequences are likely to be disastrous. I 

 once had my howdah and one of my guns smashed to bits by 



