Catching an Elephant. 13/ 



and the fun began. The guns were so well handed up 

 that we knocked over the six elephants before they had 

 given us a run of twenty yards, and we all closed up 

 and ran under the tail of the retreating elephant that we 

 had devoted to the ropes. He was going at about seven 

 miles an hour; we therefore had no difficulty in keep- 

 ing up with him, as we could run between the ant-hills 

 much faster than he could. The ropes were in readi- 

 ness, and with great dexterity one of the Moormen 

 slipped a noose over one of his hind feet as he raised it 

 from the ground, and drawing it tight, he dropped his 

 coil. We all halted and allowed the unconscious ele- 

 phant to run out his length of line ; this he soon did, 

 and the rope trailed after him like a long snake, we all 

 following at about the centre of the length of rope or 

 twenty paces behind him. He was making for the jun- 

 gle, which was not far distant, and we were running 

 him like a pack of hounds, but keeping a gun in readi- 

 ness, lest he should turn and charge. He at length 

 reached the wooded bank of a dry river, and thick rattan 

 jungle bordered the opposite side ; he thought he was 

 safe, and he plunged down the crumbling bank. We 

 were a little too quick for him by taking a double turn 

 round a tree with the slack end of the rope just as he 

 descended the bank ; the effect of this was to bring him 

 to a sudden stand-still, and the stretching of the hide 

 rope threw him upon his knees. He recovered him- 

 self immediately, and used extraordinary efforts to break 

 the rope : tightening the rope to its utmost length, he 

 suddenly lifted up his tied leg and threw his whole 

 weight forward. Any but a hide rope of that diameter 

 must have- given way, but this stretched like a harp- 

 string, and, at every effort to break it the yielding elas- 



