IV 
THE ELEPHANT 
147 
and although he could not move to get away, he 
seized with teeth and claws the hind leg of the 
maddened elephant, who had clumsily overrun him 
in the high excitement, instead of kicking the body 
with a fore foot as he advanced. 
The scene was now most interesting. We were 
close spectators looking down upon the exhibition 
as though upon an arena. I never saw such fury in 
an elephant; the air was full of stones and dust, as 
he kicked with such force that the tiger for the 
moment was lost to view in the tremendous struggle, 
and being kicked away from his hold, with one of 
his long fangs broken short off to the gum, he lay 
helpless before his huge antagonist, who, turning 
quickly round, drove his long tusks between the 
tiger’s shoulders, and crushed the last spark of life 
from his tenacious adversary. 
This was a grand scene, and I began to think 
there was some real pluck in Bisgaum after all, 
although there was a total want of discipline ; but 
just as I felt inclined to applaud, the victorious 
elephant was seized with a sudden panic, and 
turning tail, he rushed along the bottom of the 
watercourse at the rate of 20 miles an hour, and 
disappeared in the thorny jungle below at a desperate 
pace that threa;tened immediate destruction to his 
staunch mahout. Leaving my men to arrange a 
litter with poles and cross-bars to carry the tiger 
home, I followed the course of Bisgaum upon 
Demoiselle, expecting every minute to see the 
body of his mahout stretched upon the ground. 
