76 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



we should have got to camp that night, had not our 

 men lit fires, discharged guns and let off a rocket or 

 two. 



On April 20th, 1871, a companion and I took 

 a hurried trip. I had to go to Baghdooar, where I had 

 contractors who had been collecting limestone I had 

 to take delivery of; to measure its cubical contents 

 and to ascertain that amidst the stone material 

 gathered, there was not any useless stuff for burning 

 purposes. En route we got on to a rhinoceros 

 trail, and on looking down into a shallow nullah there 

 lay the brute fast asleep ! He looked like a huge 

 pig, the head being on the ground between its fore legs 

 and feet. I was only about ten yards off, but could see 

 no vital spot, but my mahout whistled, the sleeping 

 beauty awoke, and I fired at its chest. Up it jumped, 

 and came straight at us, champing its tusks, and 

 making that peculiar cry something between grunt- 

 ing and squealing but before it could do any damage, 

 or our elephants turn tail, our battery proved too 

 strong and it fell dead. It possessed only a mere 

 rudimentary horn. I was on a huge mucknah, 

 attached to the 43rd Kegiment N.L He was very 

 old, very deaf and half-blind, and it was probably 

 owing, to these infirmities that he was so staunch but, 

 oh ! so slow. No amount of prodding would induce 

 him to go faster than a steady three-miles-an-hour 

 pace, and that was exasperating when one was in chase 

 of a stricken beast. But again, in the midst of dangers 

 he was immovable. Of the two I think I prefer being 

 on a beast that has speed, even if it does occasion- 

 ally run away. 



We were going along, on another occasion, about 



