THE IXDIAX ELEPHAIS^T. 233 



a few years ago " killed an immense number of peojDle " before its 

 bloody career was ended by two officers. 



In Mr. Dawson's fascinating volume, "Neilgberry Sporting 

 Reminiscences," there is a very interesting account fi"om tlie pen of 

 General Morgan, of the doings of a " must" elephant at Mudumallay 

 (where I did my first bison-shooting), in January, 1870. The ele- 

 phant went mad, almost killed his mahout, and had inaugurated a 

 perfect reign of terror at the karkhana when General Morgan ap- 

 peared upon the scene. For fifteen days all work had been stopped, 

 and the station was almost entirely deserted. The vicious brute 

 had smashed down huts, ujDset carts, broken into the writer's bunga- 

 low to get at some sugar (I ^ish he had caught Ramasawmy !) and 

 eveiy person whom he scented was immediately charged, although 

 sti'ange to say no one was killed. General Morgan was charged 

 almost immediately upon his arrival, but sent a bullet into the ani- 

 mal's forehead above the brain, which caused him to retreat. At 

 another time it required two bullets to stop a more determined 

 charge, upon receiving which the brute fled to the jungle. In the 

 meantime a number of elephants were sent for, and when they came, 

 ten days later, the vicious beast was surrounded and captured without 

 accident. General Morgan's account of the event concludes as foUows : 



" When he broke loose, I asked the mahout how it happened, as 

 he was nearly killed at the time. He said : 'I was just going to 

 mount, when he knocked me off his foreleg and pressed me down 

 upon the ground across the loins with his tusk (he was a muckna). 

 I exclaimed, " O Rama ! (name of the elephant), spare me, have pity 

 on me ! How often have I given you jaggery (sugar) and cocoanut ! 

 Have I not ever been kind to you ? Have I ever defrauded you of 

 your just I'ights ? O Rama ! remember I was always good to you and 

 spare me this time ! " On which Rama relaxed the awful pressure 

 on my loins and I got up, made him a salaam, and walked away, 

 though I felt as if my back was broken.' Apparently the mahout 

 had treated him fairly, or certainly the elephant had never let him 

 go. The cavadie, or grass-cutter, would have fared differently had 

 he fallen into Rama's hands, for the pain of many a prod from his 

 spear was fresh in Rama's memory, and he no sooner let go the 

 mahout than he took up the scent of the unfortunate cavadie, and 

 hunted him like a dog. The man escaped that day with difficulty. 

 The elephant winded him at a distance of more than two hundred 

 yards, and he was nearly caught, so that finally the cavadie had to 

 abandon the forest, and take refuge across a river ten miles away." 



