ELEPHANT-HUNTING. 65 



order to carry on this species of traffic, he became 

 at last, in consequence of great depreciation in their 

 value, and through a combination of other unfortu- 

 nate circumstances, much involved in pecuniary- 

 difficulties ; and was under the necessity of having 

 recourse to the dangerous pursuit of elephant shoot- 

 ing, as the readiest means of extrication. This mode 

 of living In the bush, as he termed it, he found ex- 

 tremely wearisome and hazardous. On one occasion 

 a herd of elephants pursued him and his companion 

 to the edge of a frightful precipice, their only chance 

 of escape being to let themselves down on a project- 

 ing rock at some distance below the brink. Scarcely 

 had they accomplished this before an elephant came 

 up, and attempted to reach them. In this situation 

 Thrackwray could easily have shot the animal from 

 beneath, but was deterred by the apprehension that 

 its huge carcass might fall upon them, and thus 

 cause their inevitable destruction. 



The moon, which was in its first quarter, had 

 shone at intervals during the early part of the night 

 in the stormy sky above us, throwing a faint gleam 

 of light upon the wild and dreary prospect ; but now 

 heavy clouds, driven onwards by the tempest, ob- 

 scured the heavens, while the hoarse wind mingling 

 fitfully with the hideous screams of different beasts 

 of prey, increased the gloominess of our situa- 

 tion. Mr. Rose has thus described a night which 

 he passed in the same part of the country. " The 



VOL. I. F 



