Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-22
The Tusker Breaks Loose!
HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE FROM MUST ELE
PLANT.

A HA1RBREADTH ESCAPE FROM MUST" ELE-
PLANT.
From "Tent Life in Tieer-Land"
run, run, sahibs-the Tusker has gone
must or mad He has broken loose"
We all started to our feet George had Just
gone down to the bank of the river to where
the cooking was going on, which lay nearer the
mad elephants picket By this time the ter
ror-stricken servants were flying in all direc-
tions. The huge brute with infinite cunning,
had all along been making mighty efforts to
wrench up the stake to which he was bound.
This at last he had succeeded in doing. With
the first desperate bound, or lurch forward, the
heavy ankle chains, frayed and worn in one
link, had snapped asunder. and with the huge
stake trailing after him he charged down on
the camp with shril trumpeting scream of
maddened excitement and savage fury. The
men with the spears waited not for the onset.
One poor fellow bending over his pot of rice
trying to blow the smoldering embers of his
fire into flame, was seized by the long fexi-
BILE trunk of the Infatuated brute, and had but
time to utter the terrible death scream which
had startled us, ere his head was smashed like
an egg-shell on the powerful knee of the mad
dened monster. He next made rush Il the
horses that, excited and frightened by the
clamor around them, were straining at their
ropes, and buried his long blunt tusks in the
quivering TANKS of one poor Caboolee horse
that had struggled in vain to get free
All this was the work of moment Poor
George, who was bending over a stevpan,
wherein was simmering some delicacy of his
own connection, was not aware of the suddenly
altered aspect of affairs till the huge towering
bulk Of the elephant was almost over him.
Another instant and he would have shared the
fate OF the hapless mahout had he not with
admirable presence of mind delivered the
kissing hot stew, with quick dexterity and pre-
cision, full in the gaping mouth of the furious
brute. His next sensation, however, was that
OF flying through the air as the brute, with one
swing of its mighty trunk. propelled him on
his aerial fight, and he fell souse in the mid
die of the stream, with the saucepan still
tightly clutched in his hand.
Over the river we could see the internal
brute who had thus scattered us in a perfect
frenzy OF rage, kneeling on the shapeless heap
OF cloth. furniture, poles, and ropes, and dig
hangings and canvas in the very abandonment
OF mad, uncomfortable rage. We had little
doubt but that poor Mac lay crushed to death.
smothered beneath the weight of the ponder
Gus animal or mangled ont of all likeness to
humanity by the terrible tusks that we couJd
see flashing in the clear moonlight. 1t seemed
an age. this agony of suspense. We held our
breaths and dared not look into each others
faces. Everything showed as clear as if it had
been day. We saw the elephant tossing the
strong canvas canopy about as a dog would
worry door-mat. Thrust after thrust was
made by the tusks into the folds of cloth.
Raising his huge trunk the brute would scream
in the very frenzy of his wrath. and at last,
after what seemed an age to us. but which in
reality was but a few minutes, he staggered to
to his feet (fOr all this time he had been kneel-
ing), shook his massive bulk looked fiercely
and dehantly around, made as if he would
have marched straight through the dning-te
where the snowy cloth glistened white under
the tent lamps, then. with a parting shrll
trumpeting scream of concentrated wrath and
malice, some fresh idea seemed to enter his de-
mented brain, and he rushed into the Jungle
just then q smothered groan struck like the
peal OF joy-bells on our anxious ears and a
muffied voice from beneath the fold of the
shamiana IN Macs well-known tones groaned
out, Look alive, you fellows and get me out
Of this, or I'll be smotheredr'
In trying to get out of the way of the first
rush OF the elephant his foot had caught in
one of the tent-ropes, and the whole falling
canopy had then come bodily upon him, hurl-
ing the camp table and few cane chairs over
him. Under these he had lain, able to breathe,
but not daring to stir, while the savage beast
had behaved as had been described. His escape
had been miraculous. The cloth had several
times been pressed so close over his face as
nearly to stife him. The brute. in one of its
savage, purposeless thrusts, had pierced the
ground between his arms and his ribs, pinnng
his Afghan choga, or dressing-grown, deep in
the earth; and he said he felt himself sinking
into uncOnsciousness, what with tension of
when the brute had happily got up and
rushed of.
How did you feel?'' asked.
''Well, can hardly tell you. Whenever I
recognized that the brute was on me l felt at
once that my only chance of safety was to lie
perfectly still. Once or twice the oppression
on my face from the pressure of the heavy
canvas was almost suffocating. and when the
huge tusk buried itself in the earth close to nv
side,. l could scarcely refrain from calling
out"
1T must have grazed your rib?'
at did. After that seemed to turn quite
unconcerned. All sorts of funny ideas came
trooping across my brain. 1 couldn't for the
life of me help feeling cautiously about for my
pipe, which had dropped somewhere near
when tripped on the ropes. 1 seemed, too, to
have quick review of all the actions 1 had
ever done, and was just dropping off into
dreamy inconsistencies, after pulling des-
perate race against Oxford with my old crew,
when your voices reused me to sensation once
more"
MpcC Gar A CrAr Gel