Disasters of Elk-hunters. 231 



ance of the ground can now be imagined — a perfect 

 chaos of dead sticks and poles, piled one on the other, 

 in every direction, to a depth of between two and three 

 feet. It can only be compared to a mass of hurdles 

 being laid in a heap. The young nillho grows rapidly 

 through this, concealing the mass of dead sticks be- 

 neath, and forms a tangled barrier which checks both 

 dogs and man. With tough gaiters to guard the shins, 

 we break through by main force and weight, and the 

 dogs scramble sometimes over, sometimes under the 

 surface. At this period the elk are in great numbers, 

 as they feed with great avidity upon the succulent 

 young nillho. The dogs are now at a disadvantage. 

 While they are scrambling with difficulty through this 

 mass of half-rotten sticks, the elk bounds over it with 

 ease, leaving no path behind him, as he clears it by 

 leaps, ancLdoes not exhaust himself by bursting through 

 it. He now constantly escapes, and leaves the pack 

 miles behind ; the best hounds follow him, but with 

 such a start he leads them into the unknown depths of 

 the jungles, over high mountains and across deep 

 ravines, from which the lost dogs frequently never 

 return. 



There can be no question that it is a bad country for 

 hunting at all times, as the mass of forest is so dispro- 

 portionate to the patinas ; but, on the other hand, 

 were the forests of smaller size there would be less 

 game. Elk-hunting is, on the whole, fine sport. There 

 are many disappointments constantly occurring, but 

 these must happen in all sports. The only important 

 drawback to the pleasure of elk-hunting is the constant 

 loss of the dogs. The best are always sure to go. 

 What with deaths by boars, leopards, elk, and stray 



