CHAPTER XYIII. 



A MEMORABLE ELEPHANT HUNT. 



A Run of Hl-luck. — The Climax. — Strained Relations with an Official. — The 

 Turn of the Tide. — My Last Card. — An Official Favor. — Permission to Kill 

 a Tusker. — Move to Sungam. — A Memorable Elephant Hunt. — A Bad 

 Shot. — Dangerous Ground. — A Bold Advance and a Disorderly Retreat. — 

 Mulcer Philosophy. — A Long and Tiresome Chase. — Desperate Character 

 of the Jungle. — Luck at Last. — The Attack. — An Anxious Moment. — Vic- 

 tory. — The Dead Tusker. — A Sell on the Mulcers. — Skinning a Nine-and- 

 a-half Foot Elephant. — The Modus Operandi. — Camp on the Field of Bat- 

 tle. — Surrounded by Wild Beasts. — Getting up a Scare. — Burning Bam- 

 boo. — A Tiger about. — An Accident. — Back to Sungam. — A Mulcer Row. — 

 Fever again. — Mutiny in Camp. 



During the first two weeks I spent at Moochpardi, after my return 

 to the hills, my luck went steadily against me, and I soon found 

 myself in a " sea of troubles." In the first place, we saw there was 

 simply no hope of our finding a wild tusker in the Kulungud for- 

 est before the close of the season. My funds had become so nearly 

 exhausted that at last, in spite of economy, I had not ten rupees 

 left, and utter bankruptcy stared me in the face. Mr. Theobald was 

 out of reach, or I could have borrowed. Three months before, I 

 had received from Professor Ward a first bill of exchange for £100, 

 with the information that the second would follow by the next mail ; 

 but it had failed to turn up, and I was embarrassed. I had written 

 all over India about it, and also home, but it might be weeks longer 

 before I could trace it up, and until I got it, my first of exchange 

 was utterly worthless. My twelfth attack of fever came on and 

 floored me in short order, and for two days I tried my best to throw 

 up my stomach. My ankles were still covered with raw ulcers, six 

 or eight in number, which at times were very painful. 



To cap the climax of my difficulties, one day while I lay on my 

 back with fever, I received an official document, bearing the legend 

 " On Her Majesty's Sei-vice," from Mr. Gass, officer in temporary 

 charge at Toonacadavoo. The communication poUtely, but firmly, 



