The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-05-21

and dashed off into the jungle. His
career as rogue began with his escape
from the keddah. BY people who came
10 know him after the event, and until
the day of his death, he was called ..the
mad elephant and there were good
grounds for the belief that he was in
sane.
In very short time he became the
terror of Poonasy hills. He destroyed
great quantities of grain and standing |
crops, pulled down huts, overthrew |
carts and broke them to pieces on the
high road, killed number of bullocks |
in the yoke, and charged all the men
and cattle he encountered. At the vii
lage of Maroon, he suddenly rushed out
Of the jungle upon group of girls and
women who were drawing water at the
well, and before the terror-stricken
creatures could fly from the spot, he
caught two of them and instantly
trampled them to death. The destruc-
tion of this dangerous beast became a
matter of public Importance. There
were many persons about who possessed
firearms, but only one of them had the
courage to face the monster and attempt
to kill him, but the gun burst, and the
man failed to kill him.
Shortly after this, st. George appeared
upon the scene, bent upon ridding the
country of the rogue. And who was
st. George, do you askp None other
than my old friend of the Animallai
hills, Mr.. A. G. r. Theobald, as gallant
sportsman as ever took trail. The
readers of the Chanlgion already know
him as the slayer of the Doraypore man
eater.
AS sat with him one day in his pict-
uresaue forest bungalow, surrounded
by trophies of the chase, said to him:
''Tell me about your encounter with
the Poonasy rogue. You know have
never had bill of particulars.
His eyes kindled and his cheeks flush
ed slightly with honest pride as he re-
lated the facts with frank modesty.
"Well, now, that was no child's play,
assure you. For three years that brute
had completely terrorized the people OF
the Poonasy hills, and they had become
as timid as hares.
sit is lucky he did not eat them, or he
would have been a worse neighbor than
a man-eating tiger. tits said he charged
nearly every person he saw, and it was
a surprise to every body that more peo.
pie were not killed. But the Poonasy
people get to be very swift runners,
from such constant practice, for they
were always ready to bolt like mac
from any sudden or strange noise in thu
jungle.
sVery soon after l was stationed a
Kollegal, / determined to put an end t.
him and the mischief he was doing. 81
one day, about the middle of July,
took my gun-bearer and good tracker
and went over to Poonasy village t.
make inquiries as to his whereabouts
The people told me they saw hi
, tracks every day, but although
the were anxious to have hir
killed, not of them would go with me t.
find him, except the monigar, the hea
man of the village. So, at daybrea
the next morning we four set our, takin
with us two days rations of cooke
food. The monigar said the Old fello'
i was not far off, and sure enough, W
j found his tracks in less than an houl
They We're perfectly enormous, sever
teen incehs wide, in fact, and there wa
q no other elephant in that whole countr
: capable of making such tracks. {
r course, he was alone, and to our gre'
JOY we found that the trail was only
). few hours old. 1t was as plain as
4 cattle path, and we followed it up vel
n rapidly. A big elephant walks pret
i fast, usually, and if you want to owe
: take one which is several miles ahead
i you, you have got to step off pret
r lively.
h 1.-THE Jungle was fearfully thick al
q thorny, composed mostly of den
l. growth of young bamboos. Now al
/. then we had to crouch down almost {
h hands and knees to get through pa
10 ticularly thick patch, and at such tim
" we always thought: What if the o
T, rogue should be lying in wait and 8
Ie tack us now!' 1t was rather nervo
fe work, / can tell you. Hunting e
If plants is risky business at best, but fl
lowing up bloodthirsty old rogue
le doubly dangerous. After few houl
le pull we overhauled the old fellow abo
l. eleven o'clock, but he was in a /
le bamboo thicket of the very wol
D, description. 1t was like thick car
is brake, impossible to penetrate wit
as out making noise, and a man COT
e. no more run through it to dodge an e
re phant than he could fly. 1t would ha
$, been the height of folly to attack
w rogue in such cover, so, after hangi
~ around for half an hour, hoping
,g would come out, we went to windwa
IS of him to drive him out. He must ha
Id known what we had come for, for
81 stead of charging us as he did nea
he every body else, he broke cover on
tie opposite side from us, and dashed
Id through the Jungle. We made af
No. him directly, as hard as we could ,
and fineIchase we had of it, / ASST
ne YOU. He led us over all kinds
lis ground, through the thickest and tho
er lest tracks of Jungle, up and down
al steepest hills, and crossed the river fl
he times. He didn't stop anywhere
mt browse, but kept right on at a
oh walk.
re SAT last, about five o'clock in the
be ternoon, when we were pretty v
an tired out, we overhauled him aga
ut, but he was feeding in the same kint
as dense young bamboo jungle we fo'
St. him in before. To make matters wol
,sh it was very near sunset, SO in order
to spoil our chances we left him un
all turbed, went off about mile,
Int camped for the night. The next me
om ing were stirring early, and soon a
M sunrise were, again on his tt
OIL We found he hadN quilted
So thicket, and had left for parts
his known. never knew any other
n ~