140 



MAMMALIA. 



[Chap. III. 



followed his example. The elephant did not see us until we 

 had run some fifteen or twenty paces from the spot where 

 we turned, when he gave us chase, screaming frightfully as he 

 came on. The Englishman managed to climb a tree, and 

 the rest of my companions did the same; as for myself I 

 could not, although I made one or two superhuman efforts. 

 But there was no time to be lost. The elephant was running 

 at me with his trunk bent down in a curve towards the ground. 

 At this critical moment Mr. Lindsay held out his foot to me, 

 with the help of which and then of the branches of the tree, 

 which were three or four feet above my head, I managed to 

 scramble up to a branch. The elephant came directly to the 

 tree and attempted to force it down, which he could not. He 

 first coiled his trunk round the stem, and pulled it with all his 

 might, but with no effect. He then applied his head to the 

 tree, and pushed for several minutes, but with no better 

 success. He then trampled with his feet all the projecting 

 roots, moving, as he did so, several times round and 

 round the tree. Lastly, failing in all this, and seeing a pile of 

 timber, which I had lately cut, at a short distance from us, he 

 removed it all (thirty-six pieces) one at a time to the root of 

 the tree, and piled them up in a regular business-like manner ; 

 then placing his hind feet on this pile, he raised the fore part 

 of his body, and reached out his trunk, but still he could not 

 touch us, as we were too far above him. The Englishman then 

 fired, and the ball took effect somewhere on the elephant's 

 head, but did not kill him. It made him only the more furious. 

 The next shot, however, levelled him to the ground. I 

 afterwards brought the skull of the animal to Colombo, and it 

 is still to be seen at the house of Mr. Armitage." 



4. " One night a herd of elephants entered a village in the 

 Four Corles. After doing considerable injury to plaintain 

 bushes and young coco-nut trees, they retired, the villagers 

 being unable to do anything to protect their fruit trees from 

 destruction. But one elephant was left behind, who continued 

 to scream the whole night through at the same spot. It was 



