THE INDIAN ELEPHANT 31 



head shot. I can state from experience that 

 a rogue is just as easily turned as any other 

 elephant ; when wounded he behaves as any 

 other elephant will under the circumstances, 

 that is, he goes on and waits in the thickest 

 patch of jungle he can find, and comes out 

 like a gigantic Jack-in-the-box as soon as he 

 sights or hears you. Sooner or later he exposes 

 himself badly, until finally a bullet in the brain 

 rolls him over. 



It is a great advantage to have only one beast 

 to deal with. When interviewing a herd the 

 sportsman runs a double danger, possibly before 

 a shot has been fired. The first is that a 

 stampede may occur at any moment in his direc- 

 tion, and the second that, also at any moment, 

 he may unexpectedly stumble on to a cow with 

 a calf. A herd of elephants, unlike a herd of 

 bison or other big game, spreads out and covers 

 a large area, and as the herd is almost invariably 

 in thick jungle, individual elephants are met 

 with very suddenly. It is extremely unpleasant, 

 on making a detour to avoid a young tusker or a 

 cow, to come almost face to face with another 

 cow with a butcha beside her. If at such close 

 quarters she finds you out, a charge will probably 

 be the consequence. She is taken by surprise, 

 and her maternal fears induce her to assume the 

 offensive, when if she were alone she would 

 probably sheer off. If merely suspicious, she 

 may take a couple of strides up to the bush or 



