Ill 
THE ELEPHANT 
93 
the rocks were sufficiently large to present a 
difficulty to any runaway. The mahout who had 
been following our course, breathless and with 
bleeding feet, here overtook us. Placing himself 
in advance of the elephant, who seemed deter¬ 
mined to continue its flight among the rocks, he 
dug the spear deep into the animal’s trunk, and 
kept repeating the apparently cruel thrusts until 
at length it stopped. Several men now arrived 
with the coupling chains, which were at length with 
difficulty adjusted, and the elephant’s fore legs were 
shackled together. It was curious to observe the 
dexterous manner in which it resisted this operation, 
and had it not been for the dread of the spear I 
much doubt whether it could have been accom¬ 
plished. 
This was the first time that I had experienced a 
runaway elephant, but I soon found that both my 
steeds were equally untrustworthy. A few weeks 
after this event we had completed the morning’s 
march and found the camp already prepared for our 
arrival, at a place called Kassli, which is a central 
depot for railway sleepers as they are received from 
the native contractors. These were carefully piled 
in squares of about twenty each, and covered a con¬ 
siderable area of ground at intervals. A large ox 
had died that morning, and as it was within 50 
yards of the tent it was necessary to remove it; the 
vultures were already crowded in the surrounding 
trees waiting for its decomposition. As usual, none 
of the natives would defile themselves by touching 
