122 The Life of an Elephant 



these two men was neatly coiled a stout rope, of 

 which the free end terminated in a slip-knot and 

 the other was firmly secured to the elephant's 

 girths. The party crossed the river and dis- 

 appeared in a deep cleft between the hills; 

 following a foot-track they undulated, still in 

 single file, towards a fixed goal ; sometimes 

 descending into steep ravines and laboriously 

 climbing the further bank, at others proceeding 

 cautiously along narrow ridges, where foothold 

 for such ponderous animals as elephants seemed 

 most precarious ; now passing through level 

 tracts of dense tree forest, and again following 

 the winding course of some mountain rivulet, 

 till at last they halted at the invitation of a man 

 who had evidently been awaiting their approach. 

 There was a whispered consultation, and the 

 march was resumed, until the hunters entered 

 a narrow valley in the hills, and here in safe 

 places were deposited those who came to see 

 without risk, and those who were content with 

 the excitement of witnessing the courage and 

 dexterity of the hunters. Along the slopes of 

 the valley a herd of wild elephants were moving 



