HOW TO APPROACH ELEPHANTS 283 



they can easily detect the presence of a human being at a 

 distance of a quarter of a mile. Their senses of sight and 

 hearing, on the other hand, are far from good ; I have often 

 approached an elephant, which was directly facing me, while 

 it rested under the shade of a tree during the heat of the 

 day, and have not been observed. He does not seem to be 

 able to comprehend matters till his head is turned a little to 

 one side, when apparently you come into view more easily ; 

 he then immediately backs or wheels sharply round as if on 

 a pivot, and makes off. Under these circumstances a male 

 elephant will not charge once in a hundred times. 



At other times I have been within 80 to 100 yards of a herd 

 right out in the open, with hardly a tree or a bush between, 

 and have not apparently been detected although stared at 

 suspiciously, and it was not till a slant of my wind had been 

 obtained by an uplifted trunk that the usual dull rumblings 

 of alarm were sounded, preparatory to a sudden and swift 

 departure. There are various sounds uttered by elephants 

 denoting different meanings, which are well known to all who 

 are familiar with the habits of these animals. Colonel Pollok 

 has remarked on them. It is marvellous how after an alarm 

 a herd will collect together and then swiftly and noiselessly 

 take its departure. 



An inexperienced sportsman will often be exceedingly 

 surprised on approaching a cover, which he has every reason 

 to believe contained a number of elephants, to find that 

 not only have they all disappeared, but that there are also 

 no sounds to indicate that they are even anywhere in the 

 immediate vicinity, so quietly, quickly, and orderly have 

 the whole herd in single file melted away. I have never 

 had any difficulty in approaching a solitary elephant or 

 even a herd to within a few yards ; gaur, tsine, deer, etc. 

 are very much harder to stalk, their sense of hearing, 

 compared with that of the elephant, being more acute. 

 Elephants will often stampede when suddenly alarmed, and 

 the whole herd will rush off pell-mell in the greatest confusion 

 in different directions with a noise so terrific, especially should 

 it be in bambo cover, from the smashing and falling of the 

 canes, that it somewhat resembles an independent musketry 



