A WELL-KNOWN TUSKER 309 



the elephant's tracks, had at one time been a shikarie and 

 tracker of some note. The Wapyudaung hunters had on 

 their way back imparted to the Ontabu thugyi the where- 

 abouts of the elephant's tracks. So, early next day I left for 

 Ontabu with a few coolies, determined to follow up and sleep 

 on the trail of the elephant till I came up with and bagged 

 him, I was all the more determined to do so, after the 

 opposition I had received from the Wapyudaung hunters, 

 who were, I have no doubt, somewhat vexed and disappointed 

 at having lost an elephant whose tusks were worth at least 

 Rs.6oo. As a tracker the old Ontabu thugyi turned out 

 to be all that could be desired. I started out with eight or 

 nine coolies, taking as little kit with me as possible, and 

 armed with my double 8 and 12 -bore rifles. 



We struck the tracks of the elephant at about 9 a.m., and 

 followed them all day without coming up with the owner. 

 I camped that night in the jungle, sleeping on a waterproof 

 sheet with a few branches rigged up overhead to keep off 

 the dew. At daybreak we were off again, and soon came on 

 fresh signs of the elephant having been in the neighbourhood. 

 Some cultivators, whose clearing we passed, informed us that 

 the animal had, during the preceding night, eaten and 

 trampled down a large quantity of standing paddy or rice. 

 This was good news to us, although rough on the cultivator, 

 and it showed that the elephant was in no way disabled, nor 

 had it apparently any intentions of making for the Shwe- 

 u-taung range of hills, or leaving the neighbourhood. 



Hitherto my tracker was under the impression that the 



elephant had, as predicted by the Wapyudaung hunters, 



headed for the Shwe-u-taung hills, but now he informed me 



that it had altered its line of flight, and from various signs 



en rcute^ we noticed that it had quite settled down again and 



got over its recent alarm, as it had begun to zigzag from one 



place to another, and had fed on several bamboo clumps, 



which had been stripped bare of their leaves. My coolies, 



boy, and Burman " lugale," or servant-of-all-work, were now 



instructed to follow my hunter and myself at a respectable 



distance, while we moved cautiously forward. At the same 



moment the loud cracking sound of a breaking bamboo was 



