no WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



on to the other side, and imagined they had bolted slick away. 

 Amongst the wild ones was Armoogum's little elephant that 

 he had lent me, for the little brute had been grazing in the 

 grass the night before, and had gone off with the herd. The 

 mahout said he knew his elephant, as it was hobbled, and as 

 it could not have gone away with x the rest, he went into the 

 long grass after it. Great was his horror for he was an awful 

 coward when he found himself amongst the whole herd, 

 which were resting quite silently. Up a tree he went, and 

 the herd ran back again. I went round, and whilst moving 

 on quietly I heard an elephant, and, strange to say, though I 

 called their attention to it several times, the shikaries did not 

 hear it. So, taking only one Sepoy to carry a reserve gun, and 

 accompanied by the mahout, I walked towards the sound ; 

 and, sure enough, I came upon an elephant in the Pabay, 

 which is merely a nullah here. At length it showed its head. 

 I asked the mahout if that was his elephant ; he said he could 

 not tell ; at length I saw her move her fore-legs, and saw that 

 they were hobbled. I said to the mahout, l Run forward and 

 get hold of your own elephant; ' but he said, ' There is a large 

 elephant close to her.' I saw what the fool mistook for a 

 j an war was a bough of a tree, but he was in a great funk, 

 though I went into the kine with him ; no sooner had he 

 mounted than he bolted home sharp. 



" I heard the herd at a little distance ahead of me, followed, 

 and saw them coming towards me, when a female saw, I 

 think, a Sepoy who was with me gave a trumpet, and all 

 rushed back. I again followed and came upon them standing 

 quite quiet, and then, for the first time, I saw a splendid 

 tusker. I had left every one except one man behind, and thus 

 was waiting for the huge brute to turn his head for me to 

 take the shot. He would not do so, but moved forward about 

 10 yards, putting his head behind a tree and his body under 

 cover of that of a female. There was no moving quietly, a 

 burning hot day, and the ground covered with fallen leaves ; 

 I think, therefore, that they must have heard me, for they 

 suddenly wheeled round and were off at score. I followed for 

 some distance, but felt myself so done that I could scarcely 

 raise my big rifle, so gave orders for home, and when I did get 



