146 MY FIRST TUSKER. 



elephants. The head karder joined us, making five kar- 

 ders with me. 1 Within a short distance they struck off 

 an elephant track made the night before, it led us up hill and 

 down dale across the river and over a high ridge of the 

 mountain down into swamps which would be impenetrable 

 but for the elephant paths through them. At one place we 

 saw where the tusker had rammed his tusks into the side of 

 the hill. The holes looked like rabbit burrows. I put my 

 arm to above my elbow into one of them. We afterwards 

 got into an immensely thick swamp with reeds far above my 

 head and bushes covered with thick creepers. I sincerely 

 hoped we should not meet with the elephant in such a place, 

 as if he charged and I did not drop him there would be no 

 getting out of his way. 



The scent was now becoming warm, and the excitement 

 proportionately great, but on holding up my hand I found I 

 was perfectly steady, it did not shake a bit. The tusker had 

 crossed and recrossed the swamp several times — at one place 

 he had evidently remained for some time, at another he had 

 taken his bath ; presently, Atley, the shikarie, heard him 

 ahead, we hurried to get round him, but before we could 

 overtake him he had passed out of the thick jungle at the 

 head of the swamp on to some rising ground clear of the 

 jungle ; we pushed on, for there was no time to be lost as it 

 was nearly five o'clock. Presently, Atley saw him, and in an 

 intense state of excitement pointed to some reeds in a small 

 swamp, and I caught sight of his great brown back above 

 them ; we crept up close till I could see his head, but he was 



1 The karders are the native inhabitants of these hills and are 

 excellent trackers. 



