The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-29

sion now reaches its hight; there is not a
movement i'm the grass, and yet-"A-a-h!'
from every native in the beat. There he
is Where There, by that little
clump of bush" Strange, Is il not, how
difficult it is to see stripes in his native
jungle? Two white pums ana Il double re-
port from the next howdah forty yards
away. The tiger rears up with roar and
dashes of to run the gauntlet Of the
whole line VIII ne charge? He does, and
charges the elephant Of the steadiest shot
in the district. The elephant stands like
rock. An awful pause; one shot, and at
ten PAGES the tiger drops, shot through the
spine.
Padding" the dead tiger-that is. hoist
ing the carcass upon the pad of an ele-
plant kneeLng TO receive it's hard work
for the natives, as full-grown tiger may
weigh 800 pounds, or even.more. \ steady
elephant is selected for the task of carry
ing the carcass back to camp to be skin
ned, for some evince the greatest dislike
10 such burden, grumbling and trem-
bling in every limb, and to share a seat
on "A timid eggplant with dead tiger is
an exciting experience The slightest I'M
usual movement or noise starts the ami
NAL off and she may go miles before the
mahout can stop her. She makes no al
iowance for her passengers but dashes
straight away through the jungle, care
less OF trees and boughs. which may sweep
everything off her back. A seat on a run
away motor car in Regent street is safer
than one on a boiling elephant in the jun
gle. Generally speaking, the male ele-
plant is more reliable than the female
where tigers are concerned; but there are
cowardly bulls and plucky cows. The
most valuable animals are tuslIers, which
viii carry a hoWdah and are proved
'stanch TO tiger" The howdah is a top
heavy and cumbrous piece of furniture,
and some elephants are never steady I'M
der it, Though facing a tiger fearlessly
when the sportsman shoots from a pad.
The well-kuown sporting prince, the Ma
haraiah of Kooch Behar, sold some of his
elephants few months ago. One of the
advertised was a 40-year-old tusk-
er, standing feet 49, inches at the shout
der; his character read. carries a how
dab and is stanch to tiger" he was priced
at 1000 rupees. Another tusker, % years
Old, fast aud stanch to tiger, but not
warranted in howdah," was valued at
1000 rupees only. Elephants foruse in the
forests and timber yards of the east COM
mand much lower prices.
10 the forester and timber merchant the
elephants prodigious strength renders him
invaluable, for he is one of the most obe-
iient and patient of laborers. Though
$500 rupees is considered a high price for
A tirst-class timber elephant" / have
Ter to so for 1900 rupees. He is chiefly
Employed in the great teak forest of Brit
sh Burma. The. elephant is also put to
Dragging artillery and transport wagons
out it is in recesses of the forest where
MS services are Indispensable, as he is
frequently required 10 bring huge logs
rom almost inaccessible nights to the
margin of a stream, whence the timber is
ioated down to the depots. 1t is a radl-
al error to suppose that the elephant in
sXerting his strength in the moving of
imber, employs his trunk. He is far too
,areful of injuring it. What he really
Ices it to seize the rope attached to the
og in his teeth; he then passes it over
lis strong tusks, employing them as full
rum, and the only use he makes of his
runk is just to steady the log. The trunk
5 a very wonderful organ; it consists of
10 less than 1900 muscles, so that it can
Ne twisted in any direction, and it's olfac-
DRY powers are extraordinary-one ele-
,hant will wind another a couple of miles
lway-while its sensitiveness is extreme