St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-08-15
DUEL BETWEEN ELEPHANTS.
One Monstroas Pachyderm Butts and
Cores Another to Death.

1t was my good fortune to spend
some months every season In a fine
forest and hill country in India, where
my duties gave me chances of seeing q
great deal of elephant, buffalo and
other big game that freuuented those
parts writes H. Herbert Thompson in
the Weeks Sport. Our camp was on
partially isolated hill, good deal
above the surrounding country. We
had been some days in camp. but had
not been visited by our friends, the
elephants. when one afternoon the
sudden below of one. evidently in
pain. reused everyone in the camp. a
hill man presently came up to say that
two large tuskers were hard at it close
by. Everyone turned out onto the hill
side, from where it was easy, even to
on, while with a glass even the move
ments of startled deer could be made
out.
| About 700 or 800 yards below the
crowd watching the fight were two
| tuskcrs. Tho one somewhat nearer us,
O. burly, stOut-built beast. with short
powerful tusks, was evidently getting
much the worst of the combat. and the
white and red burrows in his sides and
| rear plainly indicated seams run by
his antagonists tusEs. Blood could
be seen trickiing down his head and
shoulders. On the rise of the hill was
his rival, a still larger animal, possess
| no o2t to Of rln mi N Tr
t,lsks. 1t was lost fight. and in ::
few minutes the victor, with quic
rush at the other made q good thrus:
at tho side. and though there was q
severe struggle, the tl1sk went its full
| length in tho now beaten brute, anu
using all his weight, the victor pressed
him down the hill, where they olsen
gagged themselves and prepared for
another bout.
The wounded tusker's roars of pain
and rage were pitiful to hear and
though he would have escaped if he
could, the other kept close behind and
administered thrust after thrust, but
not in any vital part. Presently wheel
ing around they came together with a
smash. This was about the only stand
made, and the weaker was quickly
overpowercd by the more powerful AMI
freshcr victor. The thrusts now put
behind the shoulder and into the body.
quickly disabled the poor brute, and in
fact in a few minutes, the great beast
rolled over dead.
Next morning, on our proceeding to
look for the tllskers, we found a large
herd in an excited state almost on the
same spot where the finish had Oc-
cured. In it We're several small
tuskers, beside the big conqueror OF
the evening before, who seemed to in
still q great deal of fear into the
youngsters. He came now into the
open glade with fine young female.
and as he approached even the other
cows there was a general stampede out
of his way.
We came on the dead beast which
had been butted and rolled, after it was
killed into a clump of bambOOs. 1t
had been Il fine burly animal, but was
marked from forehead to rear and top
to foot by rips and cuts. He measured
3 feet and inches at the shoulder,
and the tusks taken by the hill men
proved slightly over 100 pounds to the
pair. The victor, which in the fight
seemed to tower over his foe must have
been quite ten feet high, and had the
longest tllsks | have ever seen clear OF
their sockets. tried 10 get him, hut
what with his harem about him and
the difficulty of getting a clear view in
the long grass, failed to get shot.