40 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



known Peer Bux for two years, would smile when 

 allusion was made to his bifurcated tail and the 

 native superstition regarding that malformation. 

 u Look up his register/' he would say; " no man- 

 killing there. Why I would rather trust him 

 than any other elephant, male or female, in the 

 lines. Just you see that little beggar, no higher 

 than this " (showing his walking cane), " the 

 mahout's son, take him out to the jungles and 

 bring him back loaded with fodder, and lambaste 

 him too, if he won't obey the little imp. He kill 

 a man ! Why he wouldn't kill a fly. The niggers 

 know nothing ; they are a superstitious lot." 



But a little while, and quite another story had 

 to be told of Peer Bux. This pattern animal had 

 gone must. Fazul, his usual mahout (keeper), was not 

 there to manage him (he had gone with Sanderson 

 to Assam), and the new keeper had struck Peer Bux 

 when he showed temper, and had been torn limb 

 from limb by the irritated brute. Peer Bux had 

 broken his chains ; had stampeded the Amrut- 

 mahal cattle at Hunsur ; had broken into the 

 Government harness and boot factory and done 

 incredible damage ; had gone off on the rampage, 

 on the Manantoddy road ; had overturned coffee 

 carts and scattered their contents on the road ; 

 had killed several cart-men ; had looted several 

 villages and torn down the huts. In fact a 

 homicidal mania seemed to have come over 

 him, as he would steal into the cholum (sorghum 

 millet) fields and pull down the machans (bamboo 

 platforms) on which the cultivator sat watching 



