ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 41 



Elephants, as already stated, are not game to be shot 

 indiscriminately by any and every one ; their destruction 

 is prohibited under heavy penalties in order to prevent 

 excessive slaughter. A permit, as it is called, has to be 

 obtained from the Collector of the district, and would 

 always be granted in the case of a ' rogue,' or solitary male 

 elephant, so-called because, for reasons known only amongst 

 themselves, and very mysterious to mere human beings, 

 the herd to which he belonged have driven him out, thereby 

 rendering such an ostracised animal morose, and dangerous 

 to people whose business takes them anywhere near his 

 haunts. None but a trained man would dare to attempt 

 the stalking and shooting of a ' rogue,' though, however 

 savage he might have become, he would never lose sight 

 of his own safety, and would be wary of the unfamiliar. 



Very greatly astonished was I one morning when F. came 

 breathless into camp, his people at his heels, and asked for 

 ' the biggest sheet as quickly as possible.' If I wondered 

 what for, I saw that the question would have to keep ; 

 however, before they went, he found time to tell me that 

 it was to fasten across the path of a ' rogue ' elephant, 

 who was at that moment travelling in our direction. The 

 single footprints showed what he was, and were fortunately 

 discovered in time to take precautions against a surprise 

 visit ; for we were exactly in his line of route, and unless 

 turned aside he would certainly have demolished us. Such 

 an elephant is mostly in a savage, destructive temper, 

 and if one be not prepared with a permit to shoot at sight 

 — which F. was not — the only thing to do is to get out of 

 his way with all speed, leaving such bars to his progress 

 as may be available in a hurry ; in this instance, F.'s idea 

 of the sheet. It was tied by the four corners to branches, 

 and several large empty kerosene-oil drums, with stones 

 for clappers, were hung up by way of bells. These things 

 being curiosities to him, even if not alarming enough to 



