ELEPHANTS. 161 



elephants. Shooting was my craze ; every day of my leave 

 was devoted to either gun or rifle, and when off duty 

 in Cantonments, all spare time was given to rifle practice 

 or small game shooting, the study of anatomy so far as it 

 related to the structure of elephants' heads, and the vital 

 points of wild animals generally, likewise to a colloquial 

 knowledge of Hindostani, Tamil, Telugoo, and Burmese, 

 with a view to shikar expeditions, an acquaintance with 

 these dialects being of incalculable advantage to the 

 sportsman when in remote districts, where, to be successful, 

 he must be his own interpreter. Before proceeding to any 

 jungle district, even a few weeks' study of its dialect is the 

 best preliminary to ensure good sport. Several of my 

 friends were also devoted to the jungle how we used to 

 long for the leave season to come round ! although, 

 without exception, we were zealous soldiers and fond of our 

 profession. 



After muster parade on the 30th June, 1870, I started 

 on ten days' leave of absence with Gordon Gumming, to 

 look for some elephants which were reported to have 

 arrived near Hooliya, a small jungle hamlet some fifty 

 miles south of Bangalore. A drive of thirty -six miles took 

 us to the travellers' bungalow at KankanhuUi, where we 

 found that all our provisions and liquor had been sent on 

 to Hooliya by the amildar, * but it was too late in the day 

 to continue the journey, most of which led through a rocky 

 country covered with scrub jungle ; so we slept there, and> 

 starting early next morning, arrived in our camp in Hooliya 

 about noon, after a fatiguing march of fourteen miles, most 

 of which was performed on foot, the ground being too 

 rough and jungly to use our horses. The head shikari met 

 us on our arrival, reporting that the elephants two 



* District native official. 

 M 



