1 82 TALES OF A NOMAD. 



male and a female. Be very careful, sir, and kill the 

 bull with the first shot, for he is very angry and will 

 certainly show fight. This is a bad place. He will 

 knock down these palm trees like grass, so run away 

 the instant you have fired. Perhaps it would be wiser 

 not to go near him, sir." 



Any person using language calculated to intimidate 

 troops in the face of the enemy is liable to the penalty 

 of death ; and I was not pleased with the Dyak, more 

 especially as his words aggravated the want of con- 

 fidence in myself which I already felt. However, here 

 I was I had come out with the intention of shooting 

 and there was the elephant, so I was bound to go ahead 

 as a matter of sportsmanlike duty. 



We advanced. As we approached him he gave 

 another savage trumpet call. My Dyaks began to betray 

 the inherent fault of this gallant race. They became 

 excited, and some of them rushed forward to get a view 

 of the elephants. I had some difficulty in getting over 

 the ground, as I was in danger of losing my slippers in 

 the dense mud, and my ankles being bare got badly 

 scratched by the prickly vegetation. 



We were going parallel to the river and at about fifteen 

 yards from its bank. Suddenly there was another 

 appalling trumpet call, this time with an element of 

 shriek in it, and I heard a rustling amongst the jungle 

 about forty yards to our front. The sound approached 

 us, and I knew that the giant was not going to wait to 

 be attacked but was coming to look us up. 



One of my Dyaks who had gone on ahead came rush- 

 ing back with a look of alarm on his face. He never 

 stopped, but passed me at full speed, making for the 

 boat which was lower down stream. Two splashes in 



