Czar. III] THE ELEPHANT. le 
further precaution of hanging up a few leaves.! As the rai 
was coming down fast and thick, and I was anxious to g 
to our halting-place before night, we moved on at a rapid pac 
My brother-in-law was in the van of the party, I myself we 
in the rear, and the four coolies between us, all movin 
along on a rugged, rocky, and difficult path; as the road t 
Badulla till lately was on the sloping side of a hill, covere 
with jungle, pieces of projecting rock, and brushwood. |] 
was about five o’clock in the evening, or a little later, and w 
had hardly cleared the foot of the hill and got to the plai 
below, when a rustling of leaves and a crackling of dry brush 
wood were heard on our right, followed immediately by th 
trumpeting of a hora allia?, which was making towards us. W 
all fled, followed by the elephant. J, who was in the rear ¢ 
the party, was the first to take to flight; the coolies threw awa: 
their pingoes, and my brother-in-law his umbrella, and all rai 
in different directions. I hid myself behind a large boulder c 
granite nearly covered by jungle: but as my place of conceal 
ment was on high ground, I could see all that was going 0 
below. The first thing I observed was the elephant returnin, 
to the place where one of the pingoes was lying: he wa 
carrying one of the coolies in a coil of his trunk. Th 
body of the man was dangling with the head downward. 
cannot say whether he was then alive or not; I could no 
perceive any marks of blood or bruises on his person: bw 
he appeared to be lifeless. The elephant placed him dowr 
on the ground, put the pingo on his (the man’s) shoulder 
steadying both the man and the pingo with his trunk 
and fore-legs. But the man of course did not move or stan¢ 
up with his pingo. Seeing this, the elephant again raised the 
cooly and dashed him against the ground, and then trampled 
1 The Singhalese hold the be- pecially of elephants. Can it be 
lief, that twigs taken from one that the latter avoid the path, on 
bush and placed on another grow- discovering this evidence of the 
ing close to a pathway, ensure proximity of recent passengers? — 
protection to travellers from the ? A rogue elephant. 
attacks of wild animals, and es- : 
