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Not an hour was lost in setting fire to the grass on the hills, and making other customary preparations for forcing the 
elephants into the more open plains; but although the ravages committed by their foraging parties became hourly more and 
more apparent, and their footprints more recent and numerous, many days were still passed in fruitless search. During one 
excursion a gigantic savage of a Subordinate tribe of the Baquaina nation, accidentally joining our party, confidently volunteered 
to lead us to a troop out of whose ranks he had the preceding day speared a large calf— an act, be it observed, of which 
no one could be better capable, seeing that he was a perfect ogre in dimensions, six feet four inches “without his boots,” and 
built in proportion. On reaching a sequestered valley at the opposite foot of the range, we found the recently evacuated 
cantonment of the herd, wherein was a portion of the victim’s skull, being all that the hyenas had left of the little that this 
Goliath of Gath had deemed too hard for his own digestion. But after following the trail of the receding column nearly the 
whole day, and twice passing across and through the mountains—from the summit of which was presented an extensive pros- 
pect over one of the wildest and most savage regions that the whole universe can produce—the main body was ascertained to 
have marehed eastward, in which direction it was deemed necessary that the camp should forthwith be shifted. Like small 
specks in the distant valley, our white waggons could be discerned from the bare and sterile rocks which erown the highest 
elevation, and form a strong contrast to the middle and lower regions, so thickly covered with verdure and forest. The latter 
occupies the rayines and hollows only, whilst the whole plain beyond on either side is studded with detached pyramidical stony 
hills, interspersed with dilapidated cattle enclosures, and with crumbling “ cities of the dead.” ' 
Wild elephants make the most extraordinary forced marches, invariably travelling in troops during the night, and with 
all military precaution. We followed on their route during the day, and thus it happened, that although frequently coming upon the 
hivouac or encampment which they had evacuated only a few hours previously, their retreating forces were always in advance. 
On the third day of our pursuit, hugging the base of the mountains, we passed through high coarse grass, betwixt two 
conical hills of singularly twin-like appearance, which stood like sentinels: on either hand, and were yelept by our guides the 
Cloguncolo and Clogunpalma— gaining at length the vicinity of a remarkably abrupt aperture in the range, which through a 
telescope promised to afford a practicable road for waggons to the northward. The heat had gradually waxed intense — not 
a breath stirred—and heavy black clouds fast collecting bade us prepare for a deluge. We accordingly formed the camp in 
a sheltered but elevated position under the lee of a high stone enclosure, which only required the entrance to be stopped 
with bushes to become a secure pound for the cattle. Scarcely were these arrangements completed, when a stream of liquid 
fire ran along the ground, and a deafening thunder clap, exploding close above us, was instautly followed by a torrent of 
rain, which “came dancing to the earth,” not in drops, but in continuous streams, and with indescribable violence, during the 
greater portion of the night; the thunder now receding, and rumbling less and less distinctly, but more incessantly, amoung 
the distant mountains —now pealing in echoes over the nearer hills, and again returning to burst with redoubled violence 
above our heads, 
; "Far along 
From peak to peak the rattling erags among, 
Leapt the wild thunder; not from one lone clond, 
But avery mountain soon had found a tongue." 
The horses aud oxen were presently standing knee deep in water, and the sheep were in imminent danger of being drowned. 
Our followers remained crowded all night in the baggage waggon which leaked immoderately; but our own vehicle being 
better covered, fortunately resisted the pitiless storm, Sleep was, however, perfectly out of the question, the swamped earth 
actually threatening to give way under us, and the lightning being so painfully vivid, that we were glad to hide our diminished 
heads beneath the pillow ! i 
Those only who have witnessed the setting in of the south-west monsoon in India are capable of fully understanding 
the awfal tempest that I have thus feebly attempted to describe. About an hour before dawn its fury began to abate, and at 
sunrise the weather was perfectly fine; but the mountain streams being quite impassable to the waggons, I proceeded on foot 
with some of the Hottentots to reconnoitre the pass. It proved to be nothing more than a narrow channel, flanked by per- 
pendicular bulwarks, between which a small river wends its way to the parent stream, through a number of very abrupt wind- 
ings created by a succession of steep acclivities, 
“Where the monarch of storm 
Rears his giant form, 
On some rock built throne 
That he claims for his own.’* 
Descending from the highest peak, whence, after prying with a telescope into every nook and corner of the vast landscape that 
lay expanded before us, several herds of buffaloes only could be descried, we came unexpectedly upon the deep sunken tracks 
of a monstrous bull Elephant, that could not have passed above an hour before, and finding that the trail proceeded eastward. 
along the chain, we re-crossed the river—of which the waters had now considerably subsided—and without loss of time 
returned to the encampment for horses and ammunition. 
Leaving the waggons to proceed to a spot agreed upon, we took the field about ten o'clock, and pursued the track 
indefatigably for seven or eight miles, over a country presenting every variety of feature. At one time we crossed bare stony 
ridges; at another threaded the intricacies of shady, but dilapidated forests; now struggled through high fields* of waving 
grass, and again emerged into open downs. At length we arrived amongst extensive groups of grassy hillocks, covered with 
