146 
MY FIRST TUSKER. 
elephants. The head karder joined us, making five kar- 
ders with me.^ Within a short distance they struck ofT 
an elephant track made the night before^ it led us up hill and 
down dale across the river and over a high ridge of the 
mountain down into swamps which would be impenetrable 
but for the elephant paths through them. At one place we 
saw where the tusker had rammed his tusks into the side of 
the hill. The holes looked like rabbit burrows, I put my 
arm to above my elbow into one of them. "VVe afterwards 
got into an immensely thick swamp with reeds far above my 
head and bushes covered with thick creepers. I sincerely 
hoped we should not meet with the elephant in such a place, 
as if he charged and I did not drop him there would be no 
getting out of his way. 
The scent was now becoming warm, and the excitement 
proportionately great, but on holding up my hand I found I 
was perfectly steady, it d^d not shake a bit. The tusker had 
crossed and recrossed the swamp several times — at one place 
he had evidently remained for some time, at another he had 
taken his bath ; presently, Adey, the shikarie, heard him 
ahead, we hurried to get round him, but before we could 
overtake him he had passed out of the thick jungle at the 
head of the swamp on to some rising ground clear of the 
jungle ; we pushed on, for there was no time to be lost as it 
was nearly five o'clock. Presently, Atley saw him, and in an 
intense state of excitement pointed to some reeds in a small 
swamp, and I caught sight of his great brown back above 
them ; we crept up close till I could see his head, but he was 
^ The karders are the native inhabitants of these hills and are 
excellent trackers. 
