THE KING'S MAHOUT 27 



urely, scattered over the considerable enclosure 

 within the driving lines. Sometimes several 

 would come against one side of the driving line 

 and be startled into sudden retreat, or stand in 

 questioning attitude before backing into the main 

 body. But always the herd moved on, day and 

 night, though sometimes not over five miles would 

 be covered in twelve hours. It was a leisurely 

 saunter, but never a moment did Choo relax his 

 vigilance. 



There was not the amount of trumpeting some of 

 us have been led to believe. Once in a while the 

 shrill trunk call of fear would be heard, but more 

 often the low mouth note, a sort of grunting or 

 questioning sound— and not at all on the drive 

 toward the river was heard the throat roar of rage. 

 It was, in fact, because of Choo 's generalship and 

 individual skill, a very well behaved herd of ele- 

 phants that pursued its snail-like course river- 

 wards without accident. 



On the tenth day Choo brought the herd to the 

 jungle at the river's edge just in front of Ayuthia, 

 and early the following morning four Siamese im- 

 perial flags floated above the kraal as signal for 

 him to begin the final drive into the enclosure. In- 

 stanter the camp was in a buzz of serious-faced 

 preparation for the final, and in some respects the 

 most difficult, stage of the elephant catching ; weeks 



