The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-18
The aahita 1ailv eagle: Tueav orn,e pril Is, 1893

hawk to be used would certainly catch
a view of the crane and then they
would unhood It. The kallian, tiInid
bird. although large one, would com
mence towering almost as soon as the
hawk was thrown off. aud the ensuing
maneuvers for position and the upper
hand would be most interesting. Occa-
sionallY the crane would tire out the
hawk and make off. bpt generally the
latter, foiled as it might have been in 4
dozen swoops, would finally make q
successful one. Attack and defense
were always the same, the crane
invariably turning on its back
as soon as it saw the hawk
swoop imminent, rapidly pointing
its beak in a way to allow the
hawk to transfix itself thereon. In
attack the hawk sought to strike the
crane full tilt with its crest, catching
the falling and then unresisting body
in its talons before the pair reached the
ground. Occasionally a hawk was
killed by the bayonetlike bill of the
crane, but the eye of the former was
generally sharp enough to avoid such
an ending. While the birds were thus
busy up in the air we riders had to fol-
low under them, at full gallop very
often, in order to watch the duel going
on up above, and as the eyes were all
the time kept on the struggle il often
fell out that horses would come down
nasty cropper through being unwit
tingly steered into a hole or a bit OK
watercCurse.
On one occasion my wife and | had
rather a narrow shave of a more dan
gerous accident. We were out in camp
with the battery, and I had ordered one
of the commissary elephants attached
to be prepared for her to go out hawk
ing. The animal being a bit FESTIVE
made up my mind to ride with her, or
dering Il groom TO follow with my horse.
The elephant behaved well until when
climbing the bank on the far side of
small stream brother officer galloped
up the incline from behind when away
went the elephant Instead of having
been Loaded with a howdah, there was
but thick pad on the animals back,
and it soon became very difficult
to remain on board, the gait of
an elephant at Il run being enough
to shake one to pieces. As soon
as the mahout found that he had
lost all control of his charge he also
lost his head entirely and confined his
efforts to prayers to the whole Hindoo
pantheon in the direction of providing
him soft falling place when he made
the Jump he saw to be inevitable As
we should have been utterly helpless if
left alone on the back of strange ele-
plant there was nothing to be done but
to beat, throttle and grip, the maho
into steady stay on the beasts neck.
a process that was uncommonly diff
cult. How difficult no one can tell who
has not tried to hold a shrieking girl
with one hand. while grasping nothing
but a simple rope and busted in choll-
ing struggling mahout with the other,
the whole on the back of runaway
elephant. To make matters worse we
were rapidly nearing Il grove of large
tamarind trees. Nothing connected
with work on elephants is more dan
gerous than to be taken through trees
by runaway, as you are liable to be
brushed off or crushed by every bough.
Luckily for us the rest of the party.
ali of whom had been splitting their
sides laughing as long as the case was
a simple runaway on the plain, now
saw the impending danger, and gallop-
ing their horses TO between us and the
timber headed off the elephant and by
circling continued it to one part of the
madam until at last it was gradually
brought to halt. 1t was q newcomer
from Burmah and had been detailed
for us through mistake. Capt c. w.
Bellairs, in American Field