THE EAGLE OWL. 137 



drowning the soft humming of night-moths' 

 wings. Clouds of fireflies vibrate, like luminous 

 vapour, against the dark background of the 

 foliage; round which they hover all the night 

 long. On our right is a plain, stretching away 

 into the misty moonlit distance as far as the 

 horizon. 



In front of us is a * tank,' over four miles 

 long, edged with arecas, green bamboos, and 

 wild plantains. While watching its surface, a 

 silver streak is seen every now and then, 

 announcing the presence of alligators, which 

 protrude their uncanny eyes only for a moment 

 above the w r ater. Far in the distance are 

 elephants bathing elephants in their native 

 haunts undisturbed and unfearing. The light 

 every now and then catches the water, which 

 they love to cast upon their backs unceasingly. 

 While watching them we notice one or two of 

 their large forms disappear for a few minutes 

 entirely under the surface. Then they emerge 

 dripping with water, and silvered by moonlight, 

 to recommence blowing fountains through their 

 trunks. Apparently something scares them, and 

 we witness a quiet but hasty retreat. One after 

 one they shamble up the muddy bank, and 

 disappear quite noiselessly into the gloom of 

 the Jungle. 



Let us examine this spot upon which we are 

 standing. Masonry can be traced, although 

 rotten and distorted, down among the snake-like 

 roots of this huge * banyan ' tree. Kandian 

 Kings, in the time of Daniel, may have stood 



