244 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA VS 
CHAP. 
The elephant had behaved beautifully, and I 
have frequently looked back to that attack in thick 
forest, and been thankful that I was not mounted 
upon such animals as I have since that time had the 
misfortune to possess. Moolah Bux now approached 
the dead body, and at the command of the mahout 
he pulled out by the roots all the small undergrowth 
of saplings and dried herbage to clear a space around 
his late antagonist. In doing this his trunk several 
times touched the skin of the tiger, which he 
appeared to regard with supreme indifference. 
I gave two loud whistles with my fingers as a 
signal that all was over, and we were still occupied 
in clearing away the smaller growth of jungle, when 
a native approached as though very drunk, reeling 
to and fro, and at length falling to the ground close 
to the elephant’s heels; the man was covered with 
blood, and he had evidently fainted. I had an 
excellent Madras servant named Thomas, who was 
behind me in the howdah, and he lost no time in 
descending from the elephant and in pouring water 
over the unfortunate coolie, from a jar which I 
handed from beneath the seat. In a few moments 
the man showed signs of life, and the beaters began 
to collect around the spot. Two men were 
approaching supporting a limp and half-collapsed 
figure between them, completely deluged with blood ; 
this was a second victim of the tiger’s attack. Both 
men were now laid upon the ground, and water 
poured over their faces and chests ; but during this 
humane operation another party was observed. 
