1 1 8 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



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our motion became easier ! But it was fully ten 

 minutes more before our quarry was brought to a 

 stand. We ranged alongside, the noose was thrown. 

 We all required breathing time, the chased as well as 

 the chasers. No other koonkie was near us the pace 

 had been too fast so the noose was not at once 

 tightened, to allow our attendant animal to overtake 

 us. There we were, " cheek by jowl," " all a-puffing 

 and a-blowing," for a couple of minutes. Our attend- 

 ant beast was approaching, so the mahout secured 

 the noose. The male started off. He was nearly as 

 large as our koonkie, but not so massive, yet he 

 dragged us fully a hundred yards, until, becoming 

 suffocated, he desisted. He was then secured between 

 two elephants and removed. Fortunately the rope 

 had not cut very deep into his flesh. He was about 

 fifteen years old, and a year afterwards he was sold at 

 the great fair in Bengal Hurdwa for Ks.2000. 

 That was the best catch of the trip. I was glad to 

 jump off and rest a bit, and to be assured that no 

 portion of my body was out of place. But in half an 

 hour we saw two sets of koonkies in full chase of 

 seven wild elephants coming towards us. Mount was 

 the word, and off we went again to intercept the herd, 

 which appeared to have the legs of the tame ones. 

 This time, for my delectation I think, the mahout 

 singled out a mucknah fully nine feet high and any- 

 thing but young, and not the sort of beast his 

 employer would have thanked him for. As I was only 

 a spectator I said nothing. We went through the 

 same torture, but the male did not run long ; he 

 waited until we were all but alongside and then 

 charged. This had been foreseen so the koonkie 



