AIT EXPLORATION IN THE FAR EAST 349 



for the open forest. When laid hold of lie struggled a little, 

 but soon resigned himself, trembhng in every limb, to his 

 fate. It was many minutes before we could get him to 

 speak at all, a blank shake of the head meeting every 

 question before he could have heard it. At last, after 

 much reassuring and comforting, with presents of tobacco 

 and the almighty rupee, and the withdrawal of the elephant 

 to a distance, he found a tongue, and that in good broad 

 Hindu, but only to declare that he knew nothing of the 

 road; and, indeed, as we were making for nothing more 

 definite than a water-hole in the forest rejoicing in the name 

 of Boogloogee, I dare say the poor youth spoke the truth. 

 We insisted on his trying, however, and at last he started, 

 taking the way back to the huts, and peering about among 

 the bushes as if he had lost something. Presently he put 

 his hand to his mouth and gave a succession of piercing 

 yeUs, the last of which was answered from the copse-wood, 

 and in a while a very old wrinkled httle man crept out, 

 holding his hands across his shrivelled stomach to deprecate 

 the wrath of the riders on the elephantine gods of the 

 forest. More tobacco and another bright rupee, and the 

 sight of the youth safe and sound after his awful adventure, 

 brought a grin over the highly simian countenance of this 

 ancient ; and the pair of them, first diving into a hut for 

 their pipes and axes, stalked away before us through the 

 trees. Soon they got quite chatty, gabbhng and grinning 

 to themselves about the elephant and its riders, on whom, 

 however, they kept a sharp look-out over their shoulders. 

 Once or twice I made the elephant take short runs close 

 up behind them to try their nerves ; and the alacrity with 

 which they skipped behind the nearest trees, and chuckled 

 and grinned from their secure positions, was worth seeing. 

 They took us straight across country to Boogloogee without 

 a mistake; and when we got there, and set them down 

 among their tribesmen to fill themselves with venison, and 

 wheat-flour from our store, they were perfectly happy. 



The Bhiimias of these parts are much wilder than those , 

 of the Mandla district, cultivating not at all, and subsisting 

 solely by their bows and arrows, and the roots and fruits 

 of the jungle, and collecting the dammer resin of the sal 



