38 BIG-GAME SHOOTING IN UPPER BURMA 



you up to elephants or bison ; but let two or 

 three days of dry weather succeed the rain, and 

 unless he is an experienced tracker, he is safe 

 to lose the trail before very long. It follows, 

 therefore, that in Burma a man must possess 

 both patience and time to wait for the opportunity, 

 and to seize it when it offers. Even in the 

 rains a break of ten days is not unknown, and 

 if, after the first three or four days of that break, 

 the sportsman attempts to track without first- 

 class trackers, he will have his trouble for nothing. 

 When following single elephants I have 

 always found that as soon as overnight tracks 

 were found, one came up with the animal within 

 four or five hours at most. In this respect I 

 may, perhaps, have been fortunate ; but it has 

 happened so frequently that there must be some 

 other explanation, and I think it is this. Ele- 

 phants are very deliberate sort of creatures — 

 very unsuspicious, though quick to take alarm 

 when danger threatens. Both bison and tsaing 

 are shy beasts, avoiding man's proximity as 

 much as may be. But the elephant doesn't 

 concern himself particularly. I suppose his 

 great bulk gives him a feeling of security ; at all 

 events, he takes his ease when and where he will 

 like a gentleman. After his midday siesta he 

 begins to feed at about 3 p.m., and wanders 

 along as he goes, taking his time about it, till 

 11 p.m., or thereabouts, when he rests for four 



