182 ELEPHANTS. 



an empty rifle, a contingency that sooner or later is 

 bound to occur when elephant shooting. To harden leaden 

 bullets for elephants two ladles are required, one of which 

 must be considerably smaller than the other ; into the 

 smaller one pour enough molten lead to make three 

 bullets, add one-tenth of quicksilver, and stir with a bit 

 of iron, so as to mix it well, then cast the bullets without 

 loss of time. If the quicksilver was added to the molten 

 lead in the larger ladle, it would evaporate too quickly. 

 Tin is also used to harden bullets, but, being lighter than 

 mercury, it lessens their penetration, and is therefore less 

 efficacious. There is no sport that can be compared to 

 tackling a solitary tusker, except, perhaps, following up a 

 wounded tiger on foot. In shooting tigers from trees, or 

 from a howdah, there is but little if any danger. The 

 charge of a wounded bison can be stopped or turned by 

 even a badly placed . bullet ; dangerous though he be, the 

 size of a panther engenders a certain amount of contempt 

 for him ; a bear is .not a very formidable opponent, 

 although a plucky one as a rule ; but in the case of a 

 tusker the fight is a fairer one. Your heavy rifle feels 

 uncommonly light in your hands as you approach him, and 

 study his vast proportions, and you know that on it alone 

 you must depend, and that if he is not killed the first shot, 

 the odds are pretty evenly balanced between you. 



After a victorious fight, you will, however, regret to 

 see your huge antagonist lying dead, his feet and tusks 

 the only portions of his immense frame that can be 

 utilised. One always feels these pangs of remorse after 

 the closing scene with all animals except tigers or 

 panthers. 



The largest tusker ever obtained in Southern India, 

 was shot by Sir Victor Brooke and General Douglas 



