386 THE PACK SEIZE A YOUNG ELEPHANT. 



On the following day we made one of the most extraordinary cap- 

 tures that I suppose was ever made with dogs — namely, a young elephant. 

 This animal, a male five feet high, had in some way become separated 

 from its herd, and had been about in the Poonjoor jungles, living a soli- 

 tary life for some months. I had taken out the dogs and men to try 

 and find a bear, and we were filing along through tolerably open jungle 

 when we saw the elephant coming towards us over a rising knoll fifty 

 yards away, throwing dust over its back. I instantly decided to have a try 

 at it, so the dogs were slipped. 



The elephant had seen us and was already making off. He had not 

 gone two hundred yards, however, before Lady was up, and single-handed 

 sprang at his cheek, and hung there ; in another moment Bill Sykes and 

 Turk had him by the trunk ; he stumbled, when Bismarck seized the top of 

 the ear furthest away from him, across the head, so that when the elephant 

 rose and raced off, Bismarck was riding on his head, holding on to the ear 

 on the off side, and having his hind-legs hanging down on the near. Such 

 a scene now ensued as beggars description. The elephant roared lustily, 

 and dragged Bill Sykes and Turk along, often on their backs, and apparently 

 in imminent risk of being trampled to death. The jungle was full of dry 

 bamboos, amongst which pursued and pursuers made a great crashing. All 

 the smaller dogs, maddened by the excitement, were yelling and snapping 

 at the elephant's hind-legs as if it had been a sheep, regardless of the kicks 

 they received. It seemed certain that some dogs must be killed — Bill 

 Sykes and Turk had the most dangerous places — but unless they were killed 

 on the spot, none of the seizers were dogs that would let go. 



The encounter had been so unexpected that we had no ropes with us, 

 but there were some with the pad-elephant nearly a mile behind. It took 

 time to get these, and meanwhile the elephant rushed about, kicking and 

 dragging the dogs through bamboos and in and out of ravines. It followed 

 us when we got in front to head and delay it till the ropes came, but was 

 too much hampered to catch any one. When the ropes arrived, Bismarck, 

 Lady, and Bill Sykes were still at their holds, but Turk was so thoroughly 

 exhausted that he had been shaken off : though the flesh was weak, how- 

 ever, the spirit was willing, and he still tottered after the elephant, which 

 had now subsided into a walk. Had the ropes not come when they did the 

 seizers would have been wearied out, and the elephant might have escaped. 



I had two Chittagong elephant-catchers with me, whom I had brought 

 from Bengal, and as soon as the ropes arrived they caught the elephant's 

 hind-legs in running nooses, and got a turn round a tree. When both legs 

 were secured we got the dogs off, which was dangerous work, as they had to 



