WILD ELEPHANTS BY TRAIN. 213 



the muckna. All three were then led up to the 

 entrance of the gangway, the muckna in the centre, 

 facing the entrance. A huge commissariat tusker 

 now took up a position behind him, and at a 

 word from its mahout, gave the muckna a prod 

 in the stern with its tusks, and pushed him 

 bodily forward. A scream of rage and fear burst 

 from the recalcitrant beast, and he endeavoured 

 to turn round, but found himself hemmed in by the 

 mountains of flesh on either side of him. Another 

 word from the mahout, and another prod from the 

 tusker sent him half-way across the gangway. A 

 third push, and he was safely landed within the 

 truck, the tusker keeping guard at the entrance 

 while the muckna was being hobbled and the door 

 of the truck made secure. A shout of approval 

 went up from the spectators, and many rupees 

 and half-rupees fell to the drunken mahout for 

 his clever, yet simple and effectual, method of 

 overcoming recalcitrant elephants. By adopting 

 the same means, in a very little time the whole 

 batch were safely within the train and on their 

 way to their destination. 



