The National tribune., 1899-08-24

anywhere upon ground that could be
charged over Finally we got ona steep, flat,
topped hill with gaping chasns all round it,
and there the wearied fellows prepared their
meal and went to sleep. .
Late that evening the screams Of an in
furiated elephant-a perfect volley of them
rose up from wooded valley below.
The foliage swayed, and there was a con-
fused sound of fracture and crash. Really
an immense commotion had been set up
but why? At first it looked as if somebody
was being killed; but we soon saw the dis
turbance extended over too wide an area for
this, and concluded that our rogue had a
fury fit-some new devils were entering
into him, Anil said.
Shortly after he rushed out so as to be
! seen. | got my binoculars on the beast,
and such another frightful object it would
lie hard to find. An elephant slouching
half-asleep on his platform in stable, or
plodding through ordinary work, bears
little resemblance to that wild and mon
strous creature. In this savage desert he
| looked like its evil genius. Every attitude
or motion expressed ferocity and destruc-
| tive power. The very writings of his
trunk showed how he imagined victim
| to be enfolded by its fatal coils.
| There was no cause for apprehension,
however; the intervening space effectually
prevented any rapid advance towards our
position. If he had seen us-which was
not the case-and made an effort to attack,
there would have been scarcely any doubt
about the result-he could never have got
up there alive; though no one knows before
hand what such animals can do, and as
this one flashed along the jungles' edge it
seemed as if the portentous brute might
accomplish anything. One side of his
body had great splotches of dry blood and
dirt on it; another nearly covered half his
head. They indicated the wounds in
flicted by those foolish villagers who fired
into him during the raid, and now probably
that injury of his skull added the frenzy of
brain fever to this monsters former devil
| ishneSs.
1--WE only saw the elephant for few
moments; he left cover and went off into one
of those ravines thereabouts at full speed.
Being for the time quite mad, there is no
saying how long this rush was kept up
out of one gorge and into another, until to
follow would have been like chasing a
shadow. Anyway, should certainly have
taken raging tiger for choice, rather than
meet him alone where every advantage was
on his side. Moreover, darkness came on,
and as we got no chance to fight defensively
it all ended impotently. That's the whole
budget" Lester remarked; $50 now, the
sooner we get back, and go on an expedi-
ton after this beast the better"
Our bands were the last out, except
MontePs party, which had not returned;
therefore it became necessary to await their
arrival. During the next two days several
runners came in with news, and it looked
as if there was a good chance Of our being
put on the right track when we were able to
start
] No one felt any uneasiness about the
missing hunters, as they may have travelled
for long distance; besides which, reports
of this rogue's depredations might not have
reached them. and therefore no reason for
Fastening caused Montel to hurry himself
These messengers said the elephant had
gone completely blood mad; but that few
were killed because Of watches set every
where so that people could escape.
Il In the meantime, also, a big tiger was
been marked down in an environment
which enabled US to beat for him regularly.
and as this kind Of opportunity had not yet
presented itself, the desire to take advantage
! of it was unanimous.
"Bodhee,- who brought the information,
assured US with many asseverations pro-