The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-04-28

kill some one. AS one or the precau-
tions against his visits after dark the
villages had been surrounded by walls
of dry brush. The idea was that in
breaking a way through or over the
animal would make noise enough
to betray his presence. On two occa-
sions he had removed enough brush
to make an opening and done it SO
carefully that people sleeping ten feet
away had heard no noise. When dis
covered and shouted at "The Wicked"
always made off for the jungle with
out attempting further mischief, but
he generally managed to kill some one
before an alarm was raised. At the
time | reached his stamping ground
there were two British army officers
hunting him at the other end of the
Jungle, but no one had seen the ele-
phant for about week. He hadn't
left the district, however, and neither
had he been killed.
took possession of an abandoned
village at the lower end of the valley.
Here the elephant had first appeared,
and here he had killed over a dozen
people. The villagers had at length
become so terror stricken that they
had abandoned the fertile spot and
moved thirty miles away. There were
about forty huts still standing, but
instead Of occupying any one of them
I took up my position for the night in
ravine at the northern edge of the
town. had two native hunters with
me, and to lead the elephant to be-
lieve that the villagers had returned
we tied five or six dogs to as many
doorposts. 1t was looked upon as
doubtful if "The Wicked" would
show up, and after watching until
midnight turned in for nap, leav-
ing both natives on guard. 1t ap-
peared that they dozed off after an
hour or so, but an hour before day
break one of them awoke and found
the elephant standing on the bank and
looking down upon us.
Tis bank was ~ feet high and
very steep. The man plucked at my
sleeve, but the instant I moved the
elephant vanished. I would not be-
lieve that he had been there, but day.
light proved to the contrary. 1t was
soft ground, and the prints of his feet
were so deep that both natives declared
he had stood in one spot for many
minutes, perhaps half an hour. We
further found that "The Wicked" had
traversed good part of the village,
and that so quietly that not dog had
given the alarm.
The natives of this valley had long
before resorted to pitfalls, traps, and
other practices in vogue, but all to no
pupose. The white hunters had set
spring guns and even poisoned some
of the pools where he was supposed
to drink, but "The Wicked" had out
witted every move. / determined to
take up his track and follow it until
he was found. One of the natives re-
fused to enter the jungle for any price
/ could pay, but the other had more
pluck and agreed to stay with me. We
found the elephant had gone straight
into the Jungle from the ravine, and
as the soil was moist from recent
storm, the tracker had no difficulty in
following him for about five miles.
Then all evidences of the trail were
lost on rocky ground. A wild ele-
phant moving through a jungle gem
orally leaves plain path by breaking
and trampling. If in retreat it looks
as If troop of cavalry had forced its
way along. This fellow had moved
as cautiously as a deer, and no white
man could have followed him half a
mile.
At the spot where the trail was lost
there was an immense outcrop of
rock, and, after looking around for
three hours without finding trace of
footprints, became heated and ex-
'hausted, and sat down for pull at
the water bottle and bite to eat. The
tracker also refreshed himself, and
then, while had smoke. he started
off to search anew on his own account.
He had not been out of sight more
than five minutes when / heard him
shrek. After running distance of
400 feet came to small dell or glade
in the Jungle About the centre of