The record-union., 1893-07-01
MY FIRST ELEPHANT.

lnat TINS was ali taking place in Ceylou.
was coffee planter, and at the time of
which / write residing in the district of
Haputalle, at an elevation of about ). 900
feet above sea level. From my bungalow
Veranda l looked right down OH 10 the
low country, a most wonderful pano-
rama, perfectly flat country stretching
mile on mile, as far as the eye could see,
right down to the sea, which could be
seen III the far-otf distance glittering on
the horizon. Here and there, i'll this
vast extent of country, might be noticed
small green spots, shining little oases in
this vast track OF jungle. These bright
little spots were villages; the bright
green, growing paddy lrice); and very
few and far between they are. 1t is
an almost uninnaDiJed cOuntry-a coun-
try OF which no one, except men who
went down there shooting big game,
knew anything whatever. This was the
home OF the elephant; but, like all really
Intelligent animals, he was not always
in" when called upon. We had, how
ever, been careful about this, and Aad had
word brought us that there was herd OF
seven elephants not very far from Ia
manavilIe.
1 must mention what is generally not
known, namely, that a "tusker' Is very
rare IN Ceylon. Though common enough
IN India proper-which, metaphoricalIy
speaking, IS stones throw" from Cey-
ion, and 10 which, oI course, il at one
time was joined-yet from some cause,
something lacking in the food, probably,
the CeylOn elephants seldom grow tusks.
Imagine the Keen jealousy Of any one
VINO gets news OF a tusker. He hurriedly
and mysteriOusly disappears in quest OF
II, keeping his greatest chum in lgno-
~ IA * pTf N WI hat a
Is going after. There Is no one so jeal-
ously selfish as your sportsman" when
IL comes 10 Ii matter OF this sort. During
residence Of some eighteen years in
CeyiOn, 1t has only been my good fortune
10 see three tuskels; it will, therefore,
be easily understood how very anxious
every sportsman is to shoot one. Where
there Is no tuSK, what do you take as the
trophy2 l hear some one ask. Why, we
lake the tail; and, though not so hand
some us foX's brush, l can assure you it
Is thought much more Of 1t certainly Is
not what one would call a beautiful
trophy; and to kill so huge, intelligent
and useful an animal simply for his mis-
cradle little tail does seem shame. ct,
DO you know, l believe an Euglishman
would be just as keen to shoot an elephant
II il had no tail ut ali.
Now, a1ter tins digression, let us start
again tor Nellaway. 1t is now p. N. and
quite time l was oil; so, shouting to Wee
min, my hOrsekeeper, TO bring round my
horse, 1 am soon III the saddle. Neemin,
running alongside, dashes up short cuts
and gets ahead, ana keeps ahead as only
Tamil hOrsekeeper can. For the horse
Keeper always accompanies you IN this
way, invariably arriving al the journeys
end first; meeting you on arrival and
taking away the horse, cleaning and feed
ing it before lie gets anything Tor him
sell. In This way horsekeeper goes on
AN average thirty miles day. Not bad
performance Tor a man, day after day,
carrying horserug and brushes with
hlm, too.
in due time l arrived at Wellaway, to
find my friend already there, dinner
ready, ana every one in good spirits.
IL" and L have some shandy-gaff, and,
settling ourselves into long armchairs Ia
decided luxury in this country discuss
matters.
The heat is intolerable, mosquitoes
swarm; but this by no means aDates my
keenness, Tor L." begins by telling me
that this tracker's son reports the herd
moving in the direction OF llIOola, which
means only about twenty miles Oft, and
that there are five very fine elephants
in the herd, and two ''pOonches'' young
ones. All this is very exciting, and the
twenty miles is mere nothing to me,
merely the next street; and though mos
Qultoes may worry, and perspiratiou
comfortably for if proper arrangements
are made you can dine Just as well in the
heart Of the densest jungle in the low
country as on the top OF mountain in
your own bungalow, we turned into our
camp beds, which had been carefully
put up in the veranda, and, carrying on "A
ueSultOry conversation, nnally dropped
of to sleep. The coolies were all lying
about III the back veranda fast asleep-and
how fast a coolie does sleep can only be
realized by the person who has TO awake
him.
''Yendra! yendra' were the words which
aroused me in the morning. c'Get upi get
u"J 1t was the boy rOusing the coolies
and sending them of 10 IilOola. Twas /
A. NJ. and lovely starlit morning.
Get Tea ready by o'clock, boy" NUT
ters L." as he turns over ana goes TO
sleep again.
toss about for a short time and then
get up; aud the horsekeepers feed the
horses, hurry the coolies of, and make
myself generally obnoxious until IL"
can stand 1t no longer, and has to get up,
TOO.
Come along, tea is ready" and,
falling to, we are soon hard at work on
ham and eggs and like delicacies, after
which we 1eel lit for anything.
Mounting our horses we ride along in
the direction OF 1.loola.
Trotting on we overtake the coolies.
and. telling our gum bearers to run along
with Us, we go on for j mile or So Then,
dismounting, the horses are handed over
to the horsekeepers, who are told to wait
until the coolies overtake them, when they
are all 10 come along together.
Thus getting quietly away with our
gun-Oearers we are ready Tor anything
which may cross the road.
We have not gone far before l get shot
at a jungle fowl. Then L." gets two
large pigeons lmaha batagoya), a right
and lett. Then we tramp along for some
time before anything is seen. Sh! shl a
herd OF deer pop across, five. Too far Oft
10 get a shot, however.
The heat has now become terrible. so
we determine TO sit down and wait for the
horses to overtake us: sitting here we get
three more pigeons as they fly over he
road. By the time coolies and horses. ar
rive the heat IS indescrI babIe, and very
glad we are to mount and ride very slow
ly on.
Arriving at Iiloola, and telling the boy
To get everything unpacked, we go down
10 the river, close by, TO bathe. Very
pretty, very cool and very Jolly it is here.
No wonder the old classical poets wrote
of the grateful shade.r There is very
little water in the river lust now As il is
the dry season; but look at the high wa
ter marks upon the trees there, thirty feet
high, and you Will get some idea OF what
II Is In the wet season. Ills a mighty
torrent then, when all the water from the
mountains above comes pouring down.
Now tits a mere rivuleI, about three feet
deep only, except in the pools, which are
OF all depths.
~;
~@ Th,+,, =,