THE ELEPHANT. 



Occasionally the hunter, with his rifle, is mounted 

 upon an elephant's back. The presence of the tiger 

 is generally made known by the elephants, which, 

 scenting their enemy, become agitated, and make 

 that peculiar trumpeting which indicates their alarm. 

 If the tiger move, many of the elephants become un- 

 governable; their trunks are thrown up into the air; 

 if they consent to go forward, their cautious steps 

 evince their apprehensions. Those that remain 

 steady under such circumstances are considered. par- 

 ticularly valuable. If the motion of an animal 

 through the jungle is perceived, the nearest elephant 

 is halted, and the rider fires in the direction of the 

 waving rushes. The tiger is sometimes wounded by 

 these random shots; and he then- generally bounds 

 through the cover towards the nearest elephant. 

 Very few elephants can then resist the impulse of 

 their fears. If the trunk, which the animal invariably 

 throws up as far as possible out of reach, should be 

 scratched by the tiger, all command is lost. Mr 

 Williamson describes an occurrence of this sort, which 

 happened to two gentlemen of the Bengal army. 

 ' They had been in the habit of killing tigers with only 

 one elephant, on which being mounted, they one day 

 roused a tiger of a very fierce disposition. The ani- 

 mal, after doing some mischief among the dogs, 

 which baited him very courageously, at length darted 

 at the elephant's head; and, though foiled in the 

 attempt to get upon it, nevertheless scratched her 

 trunk severely. jVo sooner did she feel the tiger's 

 claws penetrating her proboscis, than she turned 

 round, and set off at full speed, roaring most vehe- 

 mently. She seemed to have lost her senses, and to 

 be bent on mischief: for wherever she saw a living 

 object she pursued it, totally heedless of the mohouPs 

 endeavours to guide or restrain her.' 



