II 
THE ELEPHANT 
69 
I held a council of war, with the elephants in a 
circle around me. It is of no use to oppose men 
when they are disgusted, you must always start a 
new idea. I agreed with my men, but I suggested 
that as we were all hot, and the elephants fatigued, 
the tiger must be in much the same state, as we had 
kept him on the run since eight o’clock in the morn¬ 
ing, I having actually timed the hour “half-past eight” 
when he charged out of the last corner. “Now,” 
said I, “do you remember that yesterday evening I 
killed a buck near some water in a narrow depression 
in the middle of tamarisk jungle ? I believe that is 
only a continuation of this horrible thicket, and if the 
tiger is nearly played out, he would naturally make 
for the water and the cool tamarisk. You form in 
line in the jungle here, and give me a quarter of an 
hour’s start, while I go ahead and take up my posi¬ 
tion by that piece of water. You then come on, and 
if the tiger is in the jungle, he will come forward 
towards the water, where I shall meet him ; if he’s 
not there, we shall anyhow be on our direct route, 
and close to our camp by the river.” 
This was immediately accepted, and leaving the 
elephants to form line, I hurried forward on Niel- 
monne, keeping in the grass outside the edge of the 
long jungle. 
I had advanced about three-quarters of a mile, 
when the character of the jungle changed to 
tamarisk, and I felt certain that I was near the spot 
of yesterday. I accordingly ordered the mahout to 
turn into the thick feathery foliage to the left, in 
