70 Wild Beasts 



evidently only the shackles on his front feet that pre- 

 vented him from getting off the platform and finishing 

 us." 



Very few persons would have done the same, but 

 Colonel Barras took Futteh Ali for his Shikar elephant, 

 and he afterwards carried him well in many a dangerous 

 strait. But he was wise enough never to give him a second 

 opportunity to take his life. 



Another tusker enraged himself against Colonel Barras 

 for a very slight cause. He was coming back one day, 

 riding this animal, Ashmut Guj by name, when, as he 

 says, " I determined to see what this beast would do, if I, 

 seated on his back, were to imitate a tiger charging." 

 Accordingly, he began to mimic that short, hoarse, savage 

 cry, and the elephant, who was not at all deceived, did 

 nothing but raise his trunk. The mahout, however, 

 warned him to desist. "Every time you make that 

 noise," said he, "the elephant points his trunk over his 

 back and takes a long sniff to inform himself as to which 

 of his passengers is trying to vex him." Barras stopped 

 at once, but the evil had been done. 



" On arriving at the bungalow," the Colonel continues, 

 " I had quite forgotten this little incident. Not so Ash- 

 mut Guj. At the word of command he bent his hind legs 

 and allowed the three natives to slip off his back in succes- 

 sion. I was the last to dismount, and as I touched the 

 ground the elephant rose with a swift motion, and aimed a 

 fearful kick at me with his enormous club-like hind foot. 

 I started forward, so as just to escape the blow, which 

 would, of course, have annihilated me. This elephant 



