BULLET AND SHOT 



THE INSANE TUSKER 



An extraordinary adventure occurred in the case 

 of Colonel and Mrs. G., who were in camp with me 

 in the Berrambadie forest in 1884. In that year 

 I had made all arrangements for catching elephants 

 in a kheddah in a pass under the Billiga Rungun 

 hills. Most unluckily the rains failed, there was 

 no fodder, and I had great difficulty in providing 

 food for the few tame elephants which had been 

 placed at my disposal for the work. It was most 

 annoying. I had taken a great deal of trouble, and 

 had constructed a large enclosure, with a small one 

 for roping opening off it, and all was ready, even to 

 the gate of the latter (well studded with sharp nails 

 on the inside), which was lashed up ready for use. 

 It was so arranged that, after the entrance of the 

 elephants, one stroke from an axe or chopper, 

 severing a rope, would cause the gate to fall into 

 position, and effectually cut off all retreat. I 

 had imported jute, from which large numbers of 

 elephant ropes had been made, and nothing was 

 required but the advent of elephants into . the 

 vicinity of the kheddah. As I have said, however, 

 when the time for the latter to appear had arrived, 

 the rain had not, consequently there was nothing to 

 induce them to come into the low-country jungles. 



Sick and tired of continued disappointments and 

 enforced inaction, I decided to move the tame 



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