THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT. 53 



attempted the stalk. On reaching the place I found that the Elephants had moved off, and 

 had entered some thick jungle. I ran round to head them, and soon saw the backs of 

 several above the high grass. They were moving away, and I thought they were the last of 

 the herd. I went after them, and as I was climbing up a bank I heard a noise behind me, 

 and on turning round saw eight or ten Elephants going away at full speed, and not more 

 than twenty yards off. I had walked nearly under their trunks without seeing them. 

 I ran as hard as I could in pursuit of the herd, and as they stopped to have a look I 

 could not resist firing at the side of the head of the largest, though nearly seventy yards 

 off. The bullet (a steel-tipped one) cracked loudly on her head, and she staggered a little, 

 but went off with the remainder of the herd right down the stony watercourse which formed 

 the bed of the ' kohl! I followed, half expecting to find my camels, &c, smashed by the 

 retreating Elephants, but they left the watercourse, and I met my camels about a mile back. 

 I now chose a spot for my tent, and while I was assisting to pitch it, sent out my gun-carrier 

 to look after the Elephants. 



He came back again directly, having found some of the herd close by. I at once went 

 out, and found seven Elephants, four large and three small, standing on the summit of a low 

 hill which was nearly surrounded by a rather deep ravine. I went round to leeward, but 

 could not get nearer than about ninety yards on account of the ravine. I lay watching 

 them until they at length moved, and were passing along the opposite bank within sixty 

 yards of me. I took steady aim at the head of one and fired. She merely shook her head, 

 and I don't know where my second bullet struck. The Elephants then hurried across the 

 ravine to my left and halted in a slight hollow about thirty yards below me, where they 

 stood with their trunks up, uncertain which way to go. I was standing on the open hill-side 

 with no tree to get behind, and only a little low jungle about fifty yards off to retreat to in 

 case of a charge. I loaded as fast as I could, but could only find one rifle bullet, and had to 

 put a small gun bullet in the left barrel. My gun-carrier stood by me well, and, just as I 

 put the caps on, the Elephants wheeled round and came straight towards me. I picked out 

 the nearest and largest, and gave her both barrels in the head : she staggered and seemed 

 quite bewildered, and as she moved slowly off with the rest of the herd I fired a heavy single 

 rifle and struck her again. The herd made for the bed of the stream and rushed down the 

 bank within thirty yards of my tent, frightening my servants considerably. They reported 

 that the wounded Elephant was a long way behind the others, and appeared very sick. 

 There was lots of blood on her track, so I hoped to find her in the morning. 



I had returned to camp about half an hour, when down came an Elephant into the 

 watercourse within two hundred yards. I jumped up and loaded my rifles and had a large 

 fire lit, but the beast would not go away, but occasionally startled us with a crash, and we 

 could sometimes hear him chewing within one hundred yards. In the middle of the night 

 I was awoke by a cry of ' Hdthi did hai: ' jumping out of bed and seizing my rifle, I saw ten 

 Elephants come down the bank within forty yards. One or two of them stopped, and I 

 could easily have hit them in the head, as it was bright moonlight, but I thought that if 

 I merely wounded one it might bring the herd down on us, when, in the dim light, there might 



