THE INDIAN ELEPHANT 7 



and to my delight heard the elephants feeding 

 in the jungle on the opposite bank. The cover, 

 however, was very thick, and when I did get a 

 glimpse of the herd it consisted, apparently, of 

 a few animals only — all cows and small tuskers. 

 We watched these for some time, during which 

 the trackers got more and more excited, gesticu- 

 lating and whispering whenever an elephant 

 showed itself. There was one tusker somewhat 

 larger than the others, with tusks weighing 

 perhaps 30 lbs. the pair. The trackers, who 

 would not keep still, kept urging me to shoot it, 

 with the result that there was a trumpet of 

 alarm, and the herd made off across our front, 

 entering the choung and heading for the open 

 plain we had lately passed over. Telling the 

 trackers to stop where they were, I ran after the 

 elephants, in two minds as to whether to shoot 

 the tusker. Now that they were vanishing, the 

 tusks I had despised a minute or two ago seemed 

 a desirable trophy, although I had secured 

 several larger pairs. The elephants presently 

 slowed down into a fast walk, showing that they 

 were not seriously alarmed. They had probably 

 heard the Burmans, but had neither seen nor 

 winded us. Again I was troubled with com- 

 punctions, and as the herd lessened its pace, I 

 decreased mine also. Not so Allah Din. Always 

 impetuous, he was running hard after the 

 elephants, although unarmed, and was now some 

 twenty yards or more ahead of me. Suddenly 



