The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-23
A LIVING CYCLONE.
How An Electrical Storm Affected On RIO
phnnt Herd.

phnnt Herd.
A native brought in word early in the
morning that a tiger had killed and half
entcn bullock Mt spot two miles away,
and after breakfast u couple of us rode
over to SEQ about making an ambush for
tho night. Tho tiger had dragged the car
cass 200 feet from the spot where he had
made his spring, and VIC found 1t lying
under II tree. Tho ground for distance Of
many rods was open, and constructing
platform in tho treo wo could not full to
SEQ tho tiger when ho came ut night to
finish his meal. During the day tho ma
tivcs completed this work, and ut shutdown
Colonel Fuller and took up our stations
Tho platform was 16 feet from tho ground.
Tho day had been terribly hot and close,
and when darkness came we witnessed
curious phenomenon thunderstorm
without thunder, wind or rain. Had we
known what was coming wo should Of
course have remained in camp. We had
been on tho platform half an hour when
the first flash came, and during tho next
throe hours thcro was not period Of
darkness lasting 1vo seconds. It was as II
tho whole country was on fro.
At 9 o'clock tho tiger emerged from Il
thicket 40 rods away and advanced to
within 90 feet Of us. 1t needed but one
glanco to show that no was badly fright
encd. Ho crouchod and tromblcd, looked
this way and that, ran to and fro and
finally sat up and howlcd like dog. He
was fair mark, but neither of us moved
hand. Wo had tho rifles covered up
with tho blankets and wcro afraid to bring
them out After few minutes the tiger
turned tail and boltcd for tho forest, and
1-ft1l L
him us no crashed through tho bushes u
quarter Of milo away Fiftcon minutes
later tho colonel touched my arm and
pointed downward without n word. I
looked over tho edge of tho platform and
counted five elephants standing in q group
below us. They had como up from the
north while wo faced the south, but they
had made no moro noiso than so many
tacllals gliding about, and VIC knew they
wero terribly frightened by the electrical
display.
Five minutes after my first look foul
moro elephants came up, and tho new
comors wcro greeted with II sort of moan.
ing sound, and the nine hudtllcd together
like sheep corncrcd by u dog Ono of them
rubbed against the trunk of the tree now
and then with such weight that we every
Instant expected the platform to be torn
apart but fortunately for us the poles had
been well secured to the limbs by stout
crccpcrs. Half IN hour after our first
count thcro was a herd of ut least 30 clo-
plants below us Not ono had been seen
in that locality for week, and these ami.
mails must have been on the move across
tho country when the storm began.
Each and every ono must have been
aware of our presence but aside from lift.
Ing their trunks and uttcring u sort OF
IL; Il
10 O'Clock not II word was exchanged be.
tween us on the platform. Soon after 10,
when the display seemed to grow even
moro vivid, l leaned forward to ask the
colonel how long he thought it would last.
A branch broke under me with Il report
like pistol, and then we witnessed some
thing few men have ever had opportunity
to bchold-a stampede Of elephants. AT
the crack of the limb every one of them
sounded II note of alarm, and with cir.
cling movement which made the earth
trcmblc they dashed away to the cast.
well, VIC arc rid of thcm,' said tc
the colonel.
but heaven preserve our campv' he
replied. They are heading straight for
1t, and unless the men arc wide awake not
ono of them will escape"
1t was midnight before the storm ceased,
and it was broad daylight before wo dared
climb down and mako orr way TO camp.
The stampede Of the elephants had covered
front of Is rods They had turned aside
for nothing but the largest trees. Small
trees and bushes had been broken down on
uprootcd, and the path looked like that of
cyclone. We had Il camp with four oil.
GERS, 20 natives and 10 horses in 1t, with Il
wagon, Il team of bulIocks and provision,
for II month. Two Of tho officers escaped
by lcaping into ravinc, and four of til,
natives were saved by the trunks of large
trees Two horses were found in the for
est next day, but all else went The cic
plants had burst upon them like u thun
dcrbolt and charged right over the camp
Tents. wagon, horses, bullocks, provisions
all had been tramplcd into the soft
c""th, and with them Is human beings
We found only fragments of them The
elephants, mad with terror, must have
seized some of the poor unfortunatcs and
whlrlcd them about and dashed them
down. The six who had escaped with
their lives could tell us nothing except
that there was "a sudden rush. IA mighty
trembling of the earth, Il cry here and
there. 1t s,all over in 30 seconds. There
were splintcrs ana fragments here and
there. there We're broken guns and bits of
tent cloth ana blankets, but of the outfit
not so much as water bottle or u biscuit
escaped destruction. NJ. QUAD.
A Picture of Webster.