280 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



himself lightly in one of the holiest and dingiest great coats 

 he could find, it evidently belonging to a taller man than 

 himself, for it came well down to his heels and disguised the 

 fact that he had not even gone to the extravagance of wearing 

 socks. Thus do truly great men show their infinity of resource 

 in emergencies by studying the minutest of petty details. 

 Boldly did the Collector, having boned a baton from a con- 

 stable, lead the way calling on those present in -the name of the 

 Queen Empress to exterminate the vile disturber of the peace 

 the instant he gave the order, Willie Dixon, having more 

 foot than the rest, soon forged to the front till near the confines 

 of a huge crowd the elephant was seen standing with elevated 

 trunk and shaking ears under a big mango tree. After a wary 

 reconnoitre and posting the Tommies on an elvated position, 

 whence they could fire safely over the heads of the crowd the 

 four Europeans walked to within a few yards of the brute, and 

 a very fine elephant he was, but as the planters, who know 

 something about elephants, pointed out he was certainly not 

 must, though undoubtedly angry, so thinking it a great pity 

 to sacrifice such a noble beast, Mr. Slack offered a reward of 

 Rs. 50 to any mahout who would secure him. A few judici- 

 ously put enquiries elicited the fact that he had been sold the 

 previous day to a new master, his old mahout having been 

 discharged had cleared out and a new man placed in charge, 

 who next morning took him down to the river for his bath, 

 and here he got into a difference of opinion with another 

 elephant of about the same height, but in much better condi- 

 tion ; naturally weight told and he got a jolly good hiding, 

 after which he seemed to have lost confidence in his new 

 mahout, and so trotted back to the tope where he was first tied 

 and roamed about evidently in search of his old guide, but as 

 the day went through he got vexed at his failure, still more 

 angry at the crowds who followed him at a respectful distance, 

 and the few strange mahouts who in a half-hearted way tried in 



