MY BIG TUSKER. 1 95 



It was probable that the dying elephant, rendered 

 thirsty by loss of blood, was making for this stream, and 

 the chances were that he would make a stand there. 



I did not think it fair to expose my people to un- 

 necessary danger, though they wanted to accompany me, 

 so told them to remain behind, while I descended into 

 the gully with my spoorer. 



The Dyak corporal took out his keen parang and began 

 feeling the edge of it. 



" What are you going to do ? " I inquired of him. 



" I am going to follow the tuan." 



" Well, but you can't do anything to help me with that 

 parang of yours." 



" Oh yes, tuan. If he comes at us, I know the tuan 

 will not miss him, but if anything happened I could cut 

 off his trunk with my parang." And the gallant fellow 

 added: "If anything happened to the tuan and I was 

 not present, it would be malu (i.e. t shame) upon me". 



So I allowed him to accompany me. We descended 

 slowly over great fallen trunks of trees and down banks 

 over which the elephant had slid, scoring the soil heavily 

 with his footmarks as he had slipped down them. 



At last we reached the bottom of the gully, and came 

 to a rivulet. He had halted in the bed of the rivulet 

 for some minutes and had been squirting water all over 

 himself, for it was splashed about on the bank. He had 

 crossed ; so we, too, waded through. 



The spoor now went along the bed of the rivulet for 

 about 200 yards. We followed up, with every sense on 

 the qui vive. 



At last, just as we came over the brow of a little 

 hollow, to my joy, there before me lay the huge elephant 

 quite dead. 



