204 TWO YEARS IN THE JUNGLE. 



light, and in thinking of its fine proportions all the fatigues and 

 dangers of the chase were forgotten, or remembered only with 

 satisfaction and pride. The night was clear and balmy, and the 

 stars came out and peeped down through the leaves to see what we 

 were doing. A light breeze came fi-om the west, setting all the 

 leaves a-whispering, and the bamboos rubbing together with pe- 

 culiar measured " creechy crawchy " sounds, like the creakings of a 

 ship's rigging. We were many miles from a human habitation of 

 any kind, in a wholly unfi-equented part of the forest, and our 

 only neighbors were the wild beasts of the jungle ; but as I rolled 

 myself snugly in my blanket and surveyed the wild scene, I vowed 

 that this was " the jolliest life that ever was led," 



Just as we were about to settle down for the night, we were 

 rather startled at hearing a loud, ringing trumpet-note issue from 

 the jungle on our right, and rather near us, too. This did not 

 greatly matter, only we hoped the herd would not come our way 

 just then. But a moment later this call was answered by a similar 

 note from the vaUey on our left, and then we knew we were just 

 between the two j)ortions of the divided, herd, and the elephants 

 were trying to get together again. Neither party was much more 

 than a quarter of a mile from us, apparently, and the Mulcers be- 

 gan to grow uneasy. They built another lai'ge fire and piled on 

 dry bamboos until both blazed high ; and I concluded I would feel 

 more comfortable if I swung my hammock just between the two. 



But the elephants kept trumjoeting and answering back across 

 that half-mile of jungle, waking the silent echoes far and Avide with 

 their shrill bugle calls, until at last we saw that they were unmis- 

 takably approaching each other in a dii-ect line for our camp. 



Then we bestirred ourselves. The Mulcers piled a lot of blaz- 

 ing fagots at the foot of a thick clump of dead and dry bamboos 

 which still stood ui^right close by. The dry branches and stems 

 caught fire directly, and the flames climbed to the very top of the 

 clumj), roai'ing and crackling fiercely, and throwing out a gi-eat 

 light aU around. Then the Mulcers began to yell like demons, in 

 which noise I also joined my gentle voice, and I am sure that, 

 could my reader have passed that way just then, he would have 

 taken us for a party of imps out on a midnight spree, and trying to 

 frighten all the wild animals out of their senses. 



As might be imagined, the elephants gave us a wide berth, but 

 their trumpeting was kept up at intervals all through the night. 

 The Mulcers sat up all night by turns, watching, and keeping up 



