v A GLORIOUS TUSK 145 



to be going on. Presently I heard the native behind 

 me mumbling something that betokened astonishment, 

 and looking in the direction of his eye I saw a sight I 

 shall never forget. Led by a noble old bull elephant, 

 the herd were marching straight off towards the east, 

 in Indian file. On went the noble crowd like a mighty 

 river ; tuskers of different sizes strode along mixed 

 amongst the smaller ones of the herd, and by the calm, 

 dignified gait seemed fully impressed with their own 

 importance. The young ones of the herd, some of 

 which were scarcely bigger than a large pig, bundled 

 about amongst the legs of their elders in the most 

 impertinent manner, greatly to the inconvenience of 

 these grave-looking personages. 



At last, when the foremost elephant was fully half a 

 mile off, the great regiment seemed to have come to an 

 end ; and as we were making up our minds how to 

 follow them, there hove in sight that which caused us 

 all to stand rooted to the ground with astonishment. 

 An immense old monster the hero of perhaps a 

 hundred summers, the monarch of many a thousand 

 miles of forest, an elephant so terrible in size that I 

 really half began to think I was dreaming stepped into 

 view. Quietly the old patriarch followed his com- 

 panions, most of them probably his children. The 

 elephant himself was wonderful in size, but what struck 

 us all instantly was his glorious tusk. Oh, how I 

 did covet that tusk ! and I vowed that, come what 

 may, I would not stop till I possessed it. The end 

 was hidden by the grass as he walked along ; but from 

 what we could see, Hamilton, who had seen not a few, 

 declared no such tusk as this old monster carried had 

 ever during his time gone from India. Scarcely 

 stopping a minute to look at him, I set off down the 

 hill towards him. He was about a quarter of a mile 



