JAUNTS IN THE JUNGLE. 43 



CHAPTER V. 



AN "ESSAY" ON ELK. 



TURNING out somewhat late in the day after our 

 midnight excursion, and discussing a light dejeuner^ 

 consisting of a pine -apple and a bumper of diluted 

 claret (the former article heing wrenched out of the 

 nearest hedge, and the latter subjected to an external 

 application of saltpetre, which does duty in the jungle 

 for the more extravagant luxury of ice), the next 

 " divertissement" in out-station life is a demonstration 

 of valour in the shape of an undress parade, at which 

 we rout an imaginary unoffending enemy by twenty 

 rounds of blank cartridge to each man, frightening 

 the adjacent niggers and their poultry -yards out of 

 all the little wits they possess between them, and, as 

 in duty bound, doing " all our little possible" in 

 keeping up the glorious taxes of Old England by a 

 huge waste of gunpowder. 



But however bloodless all this " pomp and circum- 

 stance of glorious war" is to the invisible foe, it is 



