194 A TERRIBLE GAME AT FOOTBALL. 



hobbled. All the forcible persuasions of the mahout with 

 his iron-hooked goad failed to stop him as he went straight 

 for the pony. Just as his uplifted trunk was over his in- 

 tended victim's back, the mahout, as a last resource, dropped 

 his outspread turban down over the brute's eyes, and so saved 

 the pony from being kicked to a jelly ; for an enraged ele- 

 phant generally vents its spleen on anything it considers 

 obnoxious and can get hold of, by making a shuttlecock of 

 it between its fore and hind feet. I once saw a Goorkha, 

 who was out with us, have a wonderfully narrow escape from 

 being thus kicked to death. A cheetal had with difficulty 

 been padded on a timid unsteady elephant, which suddenly 

 getting frightened at the dead animal's horns, which were 

 dangling over the pad, touching her hind-quarters, began 

 violently shaking her huge body with a view to getting rid 

 of the objectionable load. This she succeeded in doing, as 

 well as of the Goorkha, who was also on the pad. Before the 

 man could regain his legs the elephant was on him, and play- 

 ing football with his body. Fortunately the mahout soon 

 managed to control the brute, though not before the man was 

 left lying apparently lifeless. We were horror-struck, think- 

 ing the poor fellow was dead. Although he was terribly 

 shaken and bruised, and the breath knocked completely out 

 of him, strange to say not a bone was broken, nor was he 

 otherwise very seriously damaged. 



Although this visit to the eastern side of the Ganges was 

 not attended with any unusual success, on a former one to 

 the same locality, through the kindness of Major Baugh, 

 who was then superintendent of the Government Elephant 

 " Khedda " (Catching Establishment) in the Kumaon Terai, 

 and whose camp we came across, our shooting-party enjoyed 

 an exciting day's sport, the like of which it has seldom been 

 my good fortune to witness. I may here transcribe my ac- 

 count of it, written long ago for the ' Oriental Sporting 

 Magazine.' 



