A HUMAN STEERING WHEEL 



what proved to be the most arduous, but at the same 

 time most interesting journey I have ever made. 



We progressed quite rapidly at first, following one of 

 the fire-lines broad lanes cut at intervals across a forest 

 to minimize the damage in the case of fires ; but after a 

 mile or two our troubles commenced, for as our route now 

 lay at right angles to this path, it was no longer of any use 

 to us, so we had to bore our way into the forest, making a 

 road for ourselves with the elephants and keeping our 

 direction by chart and compass. 



But even with these aids to navigation, we should soon 

 have lost our way had it not been for the sagacity of our 

 guide and, as he proved later, also our " philosopher and 

 friend " the same old wild man of the woods, Dhundhos, 

 already mentioned in connection with a former expedition, 

 who now, mounted on the leading elephant, directed our 

 footsteps in the way that they should go. 



Perched monkey- wise on the pad behind the " mahout " 

 a grey-bearded Mohammedan he conveyed his directions 

 to the latter in a manner which was evidently most annoy- 

 ing to that venerable individual, as we could see from the 

 expression on his face and the vain attempts he made to 

 wriggle out of reach of his tormentor. 



Nor was this surprising, for the latter, leaning well 

 forward, had gripped the old man firmly by the shoulders, 

 and from this dominating position kept twisting his body 

 to the right or left, according to the direction he wished 

 the elephant to be driven ; and as this was constantly 

 being changed, the torture and indignity suffered by the 

 driver in being thus made use of as a steering wheel, may 

 be easily imagined. 



Nevertheless, this method of steering, if somewhat 

 unique, was eminently successful, for it enabled us to 

 proceed in the right direction, though our progress was 

 necessarily slow, since it was only by twisting and turning 

 through the labyrinth of trees and creepers that we could 

 make any advance at all, and at times were confronted with 

 such impenetrable masses of both that we were obliged to 

 halt and send two more elephants ahead to force a passage 

 through. 



The further we advanced the greater were the difficulties 



105 



