" Rogues" Again. 85 



Doolana, and he had received us in a most hospitable 

 manner. We therefore started direct from his house. 



Passing through a belt of low, thick jungle, exactly 

 in front of the village, we entered upon the plain which 

 formed the border of the tank. This lake is about 

 three miles in length, but is not more than a mile in 

 width in its widest part, and in some places is very 

 much less. The opposite side of the tank is fine, open 

 forest, which grows to the water-edge, and is in some 

 parts flooded during the wet season. At this time the 

 soil was deep and muddy. 



This was not a place visited by sportsmen at that 

 period ; and upon arriving at the margin of the lake, 

 an exciting view presented itself. Scattered over the 

 extent of the lake, were " thirteen rogue elephants ;" 

 one was not a quarter of a mile from us ; another was 

 so far off he could hardly be distinguished ; another 

 was close to the opposite jungle ; and they were, in 

 fact, all single elephants. There was an exception to 

 this, however, in one pair of elephants, who stood in 

 the very centre of the tank, side by side ; they were as 

 black as ebony, and although in view with many 

 brother rogues, they appeared giants even among giants. 

 The Moormen immediately informed us that they were 

 a notorious pair, who always associated together, and 

 were the dread of the neighborhood. There were 

 many tales of their ferocity and daring, which at the 

 time we gave little heed to. 



Crossing the tank in a large canoe, we arrived in the 

 open forest upon the opposite shore. It was a mass of 

 elephant tracks, which sunk deep in the soft earth. 

 1 hey were all so fresh and so confused that tracking 

 was very difficult. However, we at length fixed upon 

 8 



