44 BIG-GAME SHOOTING IN UPPER BURMA 



I saw his huge carcass lying motionless on its 

 side in front of me. The bullet had found 

 its billet this time, and the elephant had died 

 instantaneously. He measured 9 ft. 7 in. at 

 the shoulder and had only one tusk; that, how- 

 ever, was a beauty, and weighed close on 40 lbs. 

 The other tusk had been broken off at the 

 root, probably in a fight with another tusker. 

 I took a huge bunch of maggots the size of 

 a football out of the broken tusk ; the poor 

 beast must have endured agonies from tooth- 

 ache. No wonder he had turned rogue ! This 

 particular elephant had done a lot of damage 

 for years, and was said to have killed several 

 villagers. He used to hold up a certain position 

 of a cart-road, and give chase to all and sundry 

 passing thereon. Shortly before he was shot he 

 had chased a Burman who was quietly riding 

 along this road. The pony wanted no urging, 

 and while galloping along with the elephant in 

 close pursuit, the Burman had the presence of 

 mind to snatch off his ' gaung baung ' — the silk 

 fillet Burmans wear round their heads in lieu of 

 a turban. He threw this down, and the elephant 

 stopped to tear it into shreds, while the man made 

 good his escape. From first to last I do not think 

 this elephant covered more than eight miles from 

 the time we had startled him when asleep ; but 

 had he been other than a rogue he would doubtless 

 have gone considerably farther before pulling up. 



