no THE TENTH OF JUNE. 



I experienced on this occasion. Every contingency that could be foreseen 

 had been carefully considered ; nothing had been left to chance. The 

 men had had their respective posts allotted to them weeks beforehand, and 

 we had even had a rehearsal, or review day, on which my tame elephants, 

 under the dnection of their mahouts, led by a Morlayite experienced in 

 the ways of the wild ones, had represented a herd, whilst we took steps to 

 meet their various moves. I had also practised the men in deer-hunts, 

 &c., when I gave prizes in the shape of coloured handkerchiefs for turbans, 

 as weU as rupees, to those who distinguished themselves. I certainly felt 

 that I now had a very different following to the undisciplined band that frus- 

 trated the first attempt. I had imbued them with some notions of obedience in 

 executing instructions, whatever they might be ; of working together ; and 

 of silence. The difficulty of getting natives to do anything without noise 

 can only be fully understood by those who have had to deal with them. 

 I considered it a triumph that I could march three hundred of them on 

 an exciting expedition, without a whisper being heard. Despite all this I 

 experienced a good deal of anxiety, now that the time for testing our arrange- 

 ments had come ; but I daresay this added to the pleasure of the occasion, as 

 had the result been beyond doubt, where would the excitement have been ? 



At 9 A.M. we started for the temple. Early in the morning I had been 

 joined by Major G., Deputy Inspector-General of Police for Mysore, and a 

 keen sportsman, who happened to be encamped at Chamraj -Nuggar, and to 

 whom I had sent word overnight. As Gaindcully, the elephant we were 

 riding, swung along, followed by the long serpentine line of beaters in 

 sinf^le file (the jungle-path being narrow), I felt proud of the comments my 

 friend bestowed on my men, as he was ia a position to appreciate the state 

 to which they had been brought, having to drill and reduce natives to order 

 for the ranks of the police. 



When we reached the temple, the trackers, who had preceded us, in- 

 formed us that all the elephants were not in cover D ; some were scattered 

 feedino- on the upper side of the channel, and would have to be driven to 

 join the main body. This was quietly effected by a handful of men, though 

 a female with a young calf, an albino, gave us some trouble, threatening to 

 charge. Had the men acted as of yore there would doubtless have been 

 a scene, but by giving her time to retire safely with her charge we got 

 her pounded into D with the others. Having ascertained that all the 

 elephants were now in, all hands were engaged in barricading the cross- 

 ings and cutting the trenches between the channel and river at B and 

 C. To render this latter work easy I had previously had the trenches dug 

 and fiUed in again, a small drain covered with flat stones being left at the 



