



THE TERROR OF HUNSUR. 57 



an enormous elephant coming towards us ! There 

 was no doubt that it was the rogue, from its 

 great size. It had not seen us yet, as elephants 

 see very badly ; but Dod Kempa had scented 

 him out as the wind was in our favour. The 

 Sahibs urged the mahout to keep his elephant 

 quiet so that they might use their guns, but 

 it was no use, for although he cruelly beat the 

 beast about the head with his iron goad yet it 

 continued to back and sway. The rogue had now 

 got within thirty yards, when it perceived us and 

 stopped. It backed a few paces and with ears 

 thrown forward uttered trumpet after trumpet and 

 then came full charge down on us. No sooner did 

 Dod Kempa hear the trumpeting than he turned 

 round and bolted off into the forest, crashing 

 through the brushwood and under the branches of 

 the large trees, the must elephant in hot pursuit. 

 Suddenly an overhanging branch caught in the side 

 of the pad, ripped it clean off the elephant's 

 back, and threw the two officers on the ground. I 

 managed to seize the branch and clambered up out 

 of harm's way. When I recovered a little from my 

 fright, I saw the rogue elephant crushing something 

 up under its fore feet. Now and again it would 

 stoop and drive its tusks into the mass and begin 

 stamping on it again. This it did for about a 

 quarter of an hour. It then went off in the direc- 

 tion that Dod Kempa had taken. I saw nothing of 

 Dod Kempa after the pad fell off. I waited for 

 two hours, and seeing the mad elephant did not 

 come back, I got down and ran to Periyapatna 



