ELEPHANTS. 67 



made blind by some sharp instrument, most 

 probably by a heated needle. The suspicion 

 was very strong against the former keeper,, of 

 whom I never heard any thing after. The 

 elephant I frequently rode on shooting for 

 many years after this,, through heavy covers,, 

 intersected with ravines, rivers, and over hol- 

 low and uneven ground, and he scarcely ever 

 made a false step with me, and never once 

 tumbled. He used to touch the ground with 

 his trunk on every spot where his feet were to 

 be placed, and in so light and quick a man- 

 ner, as scarcely to be perceived. The Ma- 

 hout would often make him remove large 

 stones, lumps of earth, or timber out of his 

 way, frequently climb up and down banks, 

 that no horse could get over; he would also 

 occasionally break off branches of trees that 

 were in the way of the Howdah to enable me 

 to pass. 



Although perfectly blind, he was consider- 

 ed one of the best sporting elephants of his 

 small size in the country, and he travelled 

 F2 



