THE TERROR OF HUNSUR. 43 



Department however regarded him as too valuable 

 an animal to be shot, and advised that some 

 attempt should be made to recapture him with 

 the aid of tame elephants. Several trained 

 elephants were sent up from Coimbatore, some 

 more were obtained from the Mysore State, and 

 several hunts were organised ; but all attempts at 

 his recapture entirely failed. The great length of 

 his fore-legs gave Peer Bux an enormous stretch, 

 so that he could easily outpace the fleetest shikar 

 elephants ; and when he showed fight, none of 

 the tuskers, not even the famous Jung Bahadoor, 

 the fighting elephant of the Maharaja of Mysore, 

 could withstand his charge. Meanwhile so great 

 was the terror he inspired that nearly all traffic 

 was stopped between Hunsur and Coorg, and 

 Mysore and Manantoddy. He had been at large 

 now for nearly two months, and in that time was 

 known to have killed fourteen persons, wrecked 

 two villages, and done an incredible amount of 

 damage to traffic and crops. In an evil moment 

 for himself he took it into his head to stampede 

 the Collector's camp on the Wynaad frontier. 

 The Collector was away at Manantoddy, but his 

 tents and belongings were destroyed, and one 

 camp follower killed. Permission was now obtained 

 to destroy him by any means, and a Government 

 reward was offered to any one who would kill 

 the brute. 



Several parties went out from Bangalore in the 

 hope of bagging him, but never got sight of him. 

 He was here to-day, and twenty miles off next 



