AN EXPLORATION IN THE FAR EAST 345 



myths. A broad track througli the jungle, like a high- 

 road, led ofi in the direction taken by the herd ; and, where 

 they had crossed the dry sandy bed of the Matin river, 

 their tracks of every size, ranging from that of the tusker 

 of a foot and a half diameter to the youngster's the size 

 of a teacup, showed that the herd must have numbered 

 some fifty or sixty individuals. I was of course quite 

 unable to follow them in my present condition. 



In the afternoon, when I was asleep, some of the Bhiimias 

 came in with news of a sohtary tusker being within half 

 a mile of the camp. Ill as I was I could not stand this, 

 so getting on my pony, in sleeping drawers and shppers 

 just as I was, I went out at least to see him. He was stand- 

 ing in the sandy bed of the Matin river, where he had dug 

 out a great hole down to the moisture below the surface, 

 and plastered himself aU over with wet sand to keep off the 

 flies. He was a very large tusker, resembhng the Nepal 

 breed in shape. The only striking difference I noticed 

 between him and domesticated elephants was the much 

 greater fleshiness of his neck and forequarters, a circum- 

 stance also to be remarked in the wild buffalo bull, as 

 compared with the tame species. He stood leaning on his 

 tusks against the bank, gently swaying his tail about, and 

 seemingly half asleep. There was no way of getting 

 nearer him than about a himdred and fifty yards — ^much 

 too far to shoot at an elephant ; and I sat long watching 

 him in the hope that he would move, but he didn't. Then 

 I went and found the road he had taken down the steep 

 bank of the river, and posted myself behind it, sending a 

 Bhiimia round a long way to give him his wind. It was 

 interesting to see the elephant when he caught the first 

 whiff of the savage. He still stood leaning on his tusks, 

 but his tail ceased to sway, and the point of his trunk was 

 curled round below his ear in the direction of the scent, 

 while his ears stood cocked to catch the faintest sound. 

 Long he stood thus, perfectly motionless. The Bhumia 

 soon got more directly to windward, though still unseen by 

 the elephant, and got up a tree. Those wild creatures 

 had a wholesome dread of this jungle deity of theirs, it 

 seemed. Then the elephant gently walked out of his hole, 



