THE U0\ AND ELEPHANT. 1 70 



was determined to try a second shot, which was fired 

 by Captain Harris's man, who was seated at the 

 back of his master's howdah. 



" This had the desired effect, for the gun was 

 hardly discharged, when the lion, with a tremen- 

 dous roar, sprang up from his lurking place, and 

 in a second was once more on the head of Captain 

 Harris's elephant. But he was almost immediately 

 shaken off, when he retreated to the same brake 

 from whence he had issued, where, as before, 

 be was no longer discernible. 



" A shot was therefore directed towards the spot 

 where he was supposed to lie, when he again 

 charged the Captain's elephant, and, on being dis- 

 lodged, slowly trotted off towards the ' patch ' that 

 harboured him in the first instance.* 



" During the intli'e just described, Major Dela- 

 maine, from the apprehension of hitting some one, 

 had been deterred from firing ; but as the lion was 

 retreating, he discharged both barrels of his double 

 gun, and broke one of the hind legs of the beast. 



" On receiving the wound, the lion immediately 

 turned and rushing at the Major's elephant, sprang 



* It seems singular that during the several lodgments made by 

 the lion on the head of the elephant, its "mahout," or driver. 

 whose scat is on the neck of the latter, should not have been de- 

 stroyed, or at least grievously injured by the beast, but the poorfellow's 

 safety was probably attributable to the ponderous ears of tin- 

 elephant screening him from its sight. The "mahout" and the 

 lion, however, when the latter is lodged on the head of the elephant, 

 come so nearly in contact,, that the Major, as he told me, has, on 

 more occasions than one, seen the man strike the brute on the head 

 with the iron rod, about twelve inches in length, th it he carries in 

 his hand to direct the movements of the elephant. KD. 



x 2 



