I/O 



THE FATE OF THE AHNAY PAYEE. 



So numerous were the petitions to the Collector of 

 Coimbatore regarding the damage done by the 

 mad elephant of which some account was given 

 in the last chapter that special means had 

 to be devised to rid the district of its presence. 

 Not only had it killed thirty of the herd captured 

 in the kheddah, but since that night's savage work 

 it had destroyed half-a-dozen more tame ele- 

 phants, belonging to Government and private 

 individuals. Buffaloes by the score had also 

 fallen victims to its peculiar form of insanity, 

 and so great was the terror it inspired that 

 many villages on the Kollegal frontier were aban- 

 doned, with the result that cultivation suffered and 

 forest work was much impeded. Mr. Theobald, 

 the well-known assistant to Mr. Sanderson, the 

 elephant-catcher, at that time a Forest Officer 

 in the employ of the Madras Government and 

 known to be a keen shikaree, was deputed on 

 special duty to endeavour to shoot the brute. 

 It had now been at large for about six months 

 and during that time it had done an immense 

 amount of damage. Traps of all kinds pit- 

 falls, spring-guns, balanced spears, nooses, decoys 



