CAPTURE THE HERD. Ill 



bottom of each. "Water was now admitted to these from the channel, whilst 

 the end near the river was kept closed, and as the water had a head of 

 some ten feet, it speedily blew up the superincumbent earth and scoured out 

 the trenches to the deptli and width required. It was past mid-day before 

 we got all the elephants into the cover, and not a moment's rest did any of 

 us get till 1 1 P.M. Captain C, of the Eevenue Survey, came over from his 

 camp at Surgoor, and Major G. and he helped to superintend the people. At 

 one point the supply of tools was insufficient, and Captain C. was superin- 

 tending and encouraging a body of men who were digging with sharpened 

 sticks, and even their bare fingers ! The elephants were very noisy in 

 the cover, but did not show themselves. At every twenty yards three or 

 four men were stationed to keep up large fires. These were reflected in 

 the \vater of the channel and river, which increased their effect. We all 

 had a most exaggerated idea of what the elephants might attempt, and the 

 strength of our defences was in proportion, and greater than they need have 

 been. I was kept on the move almost all night by alarms at different points, 

 fortunately groundless ones. One tusker showed himself on the bank of the 

 channel, but met with such a reception from firebrands and stones that he 

 retreated in haste. The river was an advantage, as the elephants had easy 

 access to water. The lurid glare of the fires, the gaunt figures of the lightly- 

 clad watchers, their wild gesticulations on the bank with waving torches, 

 the background of dense jungle resonant with the trumpeting of the giants 

 of the forest, — formed a scene which words are feeble to depict, and that 

 cannot fade from the memories of those who witnessed it. 



By 11 P.M. the defences were thoroughly secured, and I had leisure as 

 I stood by a log -fire with nothing but my trousers on (my flannel shirt 

 and coat were drenched with perspiration, and were being dried before the 

 blaze), a piece of bread in one hand, and a bottle of claret and water in the 

 other, to reflect on our complete success so far. That the elephants could 

 not now escape was certain, unless indeed they carried some of our barri- 

 cades, which were, however, so strong as to be almost beyond their power. 

 The men differed as to their number. I had seen about twenty ; some de- 

 clared there were fifty, but I could not believe this at the time. The num- 

 ber, however, was fifty-four, as we subsequently found. I tried in vain to 

 rest. The excitement of the scene was irresistible, so I betook myself to 

 walking round the enclosure at intervals throughout the night, followed by 

 a man carrying a basket of cheroots, which I distributed to the people. The 

 rest of the time I lay upon my cot, which my servant had been thoughtful 

 enough to bring from Morlay with his cooking paraphernalia, enjoying the 

 wildness of the sounds and scenes around, and soothed by cheroots and 



