The record-union., 1893-07-01


the old man disappears in the under
/ growth, gliding away without the slight
est sound, like snake; going away with
out the least effort, the undergrowth
closing behind him, leaving not a sign OF
him.
wv hat is it?''
Ssh! sh!" says a."
Now, my whisper had hardly been a
Whisper had looked it more than any
1 thing-and TO be met with a scowl and
''Sh! sh!'' was fearfully irritating. 81"
then went on to whisper something, but
what on earth he said l couldn't make
out, for just then my hat brushed against
a tree. deadening all other sounds. Hav-
ing recovered this shock, [ again looked
| What is it?" Thump came something
into the small of my back, and, glaring
round, | see my faithful Nellian, also
looking what is it?''
He. too, had crept up, terror depicted
all over him. At this moment the ludi-
crousness Of the whole thing burst upon
me. | couldn't help laughing. Selling
my handkerchief | stuffed it into my
mouth. Stop laughing | couldn't. The
agonIzed expression on 81. IS" face was
I terrible. Throwing myself on the
| ground, buried my face in my arms;
but whenever l looked up and saw the
perspiring faces, protruding ewes and
-.
the intense anxiety depicted on IL 's''
face lest my giggling should be heard, Off
/ went again and again into paroXysm
alter paroxysm of laughter. Looking up,
| however, on one OF these occasions, | saw
Bohomo hondi, who had returned as
/ quietly as he had gone, staring at me
/ with the utmost contempt and rage |
| saw the old chap had lost all respect for
me, and this stopped my giggling tit.
/ one must maintain ones dignity even in
| a canebrake.
| THE rogue was close here, had been
I lying down, but seemed restless and had
/ got up and gone on" said the old chap in
a Whlsper-evidentIy implying that | was
/ the cause.
| What do you propose?" said a."
| think l know where he is going.
and we must make a detOur and cut him
/ of. He has gone to the river" said
\ Bohomo hondi.
'Thatiis just as WE'LL" said a." "for
l wouldn't go near him in this Jungle"
Ne, ne," mumbled the old man. (No,
no, nor he either-that was very certain.
w e now turned to our right, and attel
some time, III the same sort of going we
had been having so much of, struck a
ridge with very decent gametrack on it.
! here one could walk upright and i'll COM
parative comfort. The jungle got more
open as we went along, and presently we
struck on an old abandoned paddy
/ tield-not house to be seen, everything
growing up into a jungle.
The people are all dead-fever," said
the old man, with the greatest uncon-
/ Germ. And ! wondered how many viii
lagos he had seen thus quietly pass away.
From his age which might have been
| centuries, but more from his utter un-
concern, came TO the conclusion that he
must have seen many. He seemed to
think nothing whatever of it.
Crossing this Woebegone and forIorn
/ village, we stopped, and the old man said
I he would go and reconnoitre, and see il
the rogue hadn't stopped at the old
tank here before going on as far as the
river, The tank in all probability was
I dry, but still might have little water in
| It, suIhclent to tempt the elephant down,
/ he thought-so off he went TO see, we sit
ting down meantime.
i The tank IS Just here; the old man
| won't be more than five minutes" whis-
pered "L."
Visions of Water-cool, refreshing water
fitted before me, when, "Enawa Ma
hatyma," the old man was back. The
/ rogue was there. He was down in the
| tank, and seemed very restless-we had
| better come quickly. Taking up hand
| ful OF sand, the Old cnap, holding his
hand aIolt, let it slowly pour away, ob-
/ serving most carefully which way the
wind carried it. TO me, uninitiated,
there did not appear to be breath OF
/ wind; but he made up his mind at once
that we must go round. Trudging Oft,
we once more crossed the abandoned
paddy-tield, and entering the Jungle,
crept Stealthily along.
Presently / heard something. 1t was
not my contounded hat this time, but
most surely a breaking brauch. es, there
goes another. The rogue mad left the
| tank, then-he was restless.
! How my heart throbbed against nv
/ ribs. There, at last, was the rogue. STAR
ing into the jungle l could see nothing,
! but from the noise l knew he must he
/ quite close. All! Bohomo hondi poin,s
at something. L." stoops, mods, and
! turning round, beckons to me, his per-
| spring face beaming with delight. He
points into the jungle, and though |
strain my eyes in that direction until they
nearly drop out of my head, 1 can make
1 out nothing.
How l did stare! could see nothing
nothing whatever-nothing but Jungle.
Suddenly something caught my eye.
Good heavens! tits the rogue's tail-here,
within fifteen feet. I had all this time
mistaken his huge form for a rock; had
no idea we were so close as that.
es, there he Was-he evidently did not
know we were there-there he was. slowly
shaking one leg to and fro. and, with his
ears cooked, keenly watching the path
hes had himself just come along. Yes.
there was no doubt about it, he had either
scented or heard US, and was now living
in wait to make a charge.
by Jove! how lucky it was he hadn' t
done that in the fearful stuff we had crept
through earlier in the day. We could
never have escaped.
IL" slowly, with his rifle clutched in
his hand, creeps, inch by inch, nearer to
the rogue.
He gets to within ten feet of him. The
rogue stops shaking his leg to and fro,
and suddenly wheels right round on IL. d"
LIS" rifle is raised. Bang! bang!
There Is screaming trumpet, a sway
ing of trees in all directions and the rogue
has gone.
Come onv shouts "L."
Off we dash, tearing our way through
the jungle, and the jungle tearing its way
through US. The whole place is covered
with blood, and there can be no doubt
that the elephant is badly wounded.
''Sh! look outW Bohomo hondi stops
and beckons me. l creep up to him. for
It's my turn now. On, yes. there he is.
looking straight at me, about twenty
feet off.
Look out, he's going to charged Wait
until he gets quite close; III back you
up" whispers a."
Whrrrrrr here he comes, everything
falling in all directions. The noise of his
trumpet, the swaying of the trees. the
crashing, and then the awful ''thud',-
who can describe them?
Yes, l had got my first elephant. How?
Well, even now. after all this description,
L hardly know what happened, He had
charged right on to me and had dronned
him with my first shot. That was quite
certain, for there he was; his huge car
cass only seven feet from where / stood.
Twas more luck than good management:
had the bullet not killed him instantane-
ously, he must have crushed me in his
fall.