A Jungle Trip, 289 



which the elephants were so close that we could hear 

 their deep breathing ; and by stooping down we could 

 distinguish the tips cf their trunks and their feet, al- 

 though the animals themselves were invisible. We 

 waited about half an hour in the hope that some of the 

 elephants might again enter the open forest \. at length 

 two, neither of whom were above five feet high, came 

 out and faced us. My dress of elastic green tights had 

 become so browned by constant washing and exposure, 

 that I matched exactly with the stem of a tree against 

 which I was leaning, and one of the elephants kept ad- 

 vancing toward me until I could nearly touch him with 

 my rifle ; still he did not see me, and I did not wish to 

 fire, as I should alarm the herd, which would then be 

 lost for ever. Unfortunately, just at this moment, the 

 other elephant saw Palliser, and the alarm was given. 

 There was no help for it, and we were obliged to fire. 

 Mine fell dead, but the other fell, and, recovering him- 

 self immediately, he escaped in the thick jungle. 



This was bad luck, and we returned toward the 

 il amblam" to breakfast. On our way there we found 

 that the "rogue" had concealed himself in a piece of 

 thick jungle, backed by hills of very high lemon grass. 

 From this stronghold we tried to drive him, and posted 

 ourselves in a fine position to receive him should he 

 break cover ; but he was too cunning to come out, and 

 the beaters were too knowing to go in to drive such bad 

 jungle ; it was, therefore, a drawn game, and we were 

 obliged to leave him. 



When within a short distance of the " amblam," a 



fine black partridge got up at about sixty yards. I was 



lucky enough to knock him over with a rifle, and still 



more fortunate in not injuring him much with the ball, 



25 T 



