ELEPHANTS. 171 



grass, which was surrounded by a belt of impervious 

 jungles, some ten rniles distant. As Thandi was several 

 miles from this drinking place, I decided to camp nearer to 

 it, under a solitary babool bush, on which a rug was 

 hung to act as a tent. The elephants came to drink the 

 second night, but got a slant of our wind, and made off 

 to the jungles, without being fired at. They did not 

 return the next night, and, as the supply of drinking 

 water had been exhausted that day, we started early next 

 morning on our return journey, in a Burmese boat, nearly 

 mad with thirst, which was not assuaged until we reached 

 Thandi about midday. I had some good cicely* shooting 

 on the river, which was the only redeeming feature of 

 that trip. 



The next expedition was by the Pegu river to 

 Kayengan, where we (a party of four) arrived, after a 

 fourteen hours' journey on a steam launch. Early next 

 morning a message was received by the Deputy Commis- 

 sioner one of our party to the effect that a hut which 

 had been constructed for us, was attacked and wrecked 

 by the elephants. They were furthermore reported 

 to be very vicious, charging everybody who approached 

 them. 



This good new^s pulled us through a long day's march, 

 until, on nearing Perrabyoo about () p.m., we visited a pool 

 where the elephants were accustomed to drink, and found 

 the dead body of a cow elephant, which had been shot 

 that afternoon by a Burman. She was one of the herd we 

 were in search of. This was a facer to all who were 

 acquainted with the habits of wild elephants, but some of 

 us lay down to rest full of hope for the morrow. Next 

 morning, however, the elephants had departed clean out 

 * Dendrocygna (whistling teal). 



