VI 
THE TIGER 
193 
hands the boughs, etc., to the man upon the animals 
back, who lays the thin or extreme end of the 
branch across the pad, leaving the thick or heavy 
end outwards. He places one foot upon this to 
keep it from slipping off until he has placed the 
next bough across it upon the opposite side, arranged 
in a similar manner. In this way he continues to 
load the elephant, each time holding down with his 
foot a separate bough, until he has secured it by the 
weight of another, placed in the same position 
opposite. This plan enables him to build up a load 
like a small haystack, which is then secured by 
ropes, and almost hides the animal that carries it. 
My mighty beast was condemned to this useful but 
degrading employment,,instead of being honoured 
by a place in the line of shikari s elephants, and 
we started into the valleys among the Garo Hills, 
led by a native who declared that he would intro¬ 
duce us to rhinoceros and buffaloes. 
We started at 6 a.m., and marched about 14 
miles, extending into line whenever we entered a 
broad valley of high grass, and slowly thrashing our 
way through it. In many of the swampy flats 
among the hills the reedy grass was quite 14 or 15 
feet in height and as thick as the forefinger; so 
dense was this herbage, that when the elephants 
were in line you could only see the animals upon the 
immediate left and right, the others being completely 
hidden. It struck me that this system of beating 
was rather absurd, as there were no stops in the 
front, neither scouts on the flanks, therefore any 
VOL. I 
o 
