54 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



and for this reason had been singled out to try 

 conclusions with the Hunsur rogue. With such a 

 mount Colonel M- - thought the young fellows 

 would be safe even should they meet the 

 " Terror/' so seeing them safely mounted on the 

 pad he bid them not to fail to call on D -, 

 the Forest officer on the Coorg frontier, who 

 would put them up to the best means of 

 finding the game they were after. 



They had been gone about four days when one 

 morning the Commissariat sergeant turned up at 



Colonel M 's bungalow and with a salute 



informed him that Dod Kempa was in the lines, 

 and that his mahout was drunk and incapable 

 and he could get no information from him. 

 The elephant and mahout had turned up some 

 time during the night ; the pad had been left 

 behind, and the man could give no information 

 about the two sahibs who had gone out with 

 him. Fearing the worst, the Colonel sent for 

 the mahout, but before the order could be 

 carried out, a crowd of mahouts (elephant drivers) 

 and other natives were seen approaching, shouting 

 " Pawgalee hogiya / Pawgalee hogiya / (he has gone 

 mad ! he has gone mad !)." Yes, sure enough, 

 there was Dod Kempa' s mahout inanely grinning 

 and shaking his hands. Now and again he would 

 stop and look behind, and a look of terror would 

 come into his eyes. He would crouch down and 

 put his hands to his ears as if to shut out some 

 dreadful sound. He would remain like this for a 

 minute or two, glance furtively around, and then 



