The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-09-11

Yet a single gunshot when the season
opened and you never could get within
a mile of them"
That is true. l have fished and
hunted with father"
? Surely! keep forgetting that it's
ten to one you know more about game
than | do"
Silence fell upon them again. On, on,
without pausing. Bruce was getting
sleepy himself, so he began munching
biscuits. Lighter and lighter grew the
east; the moon dimmed, and by and by
everything grew gray and the chill in
the air seemed sharpest yet
They were both awake.
Sunup they stopped by a stream.
Bruce dismounted without having the
elephant kneel and went to the water
to fill his canteen. The hurfter in him
became interested in the tracks along
the banks. A tiger, a leopard, some
apes, and herd Of antelope had been
down to drink during the night Even
as he looked huge gray ape came
bounding out, head on toward Rajah
who despised these foolish beasts. Per-
haps the old elephant missed Ali; per-
haps he was still somewhat upset by
his failure to join his wild brothers
the night before; at any rate, without
warning, he set off with that shutting
gait which sometimes carried him as
| swiftly as horse. An elephant never
trots nor really runs according to our
| conception of the term; he shuffles.
scarcely lifting his feet off the ground.
The mahout yelled and belabored the
elephant on the skull. Rajah did not
mind this beating at ALL Whatever his
idea was, he evidently proposed to see
it fulfilled. Cunningly he dashed I'M
der some branches, sweeping the ma
bout off his neck. The branches with
| crash as of musketry struck the how
dab, but it held, thanks to the stout
ness Of the belly bands and the care
with which they had been adjusted
round the huge barrel
Bruce stood up, appalled, For time
he was incapable of movement. Short
as the time was, it was enough to
give Rajah such Roadway as he need
ed. He disappeared from sight. Bruce
saw the futility of shooting at the
beast. The only thing he could do was
to mount up beside Ramabai and Pun
dita and give chase; and this he did
in short order, dragging up the bruised
and shaken mahout with him. The
pursuing elephant, with this extra
handicap, never brought Rajah into
sight. But the trail was clear. and
they followed
Sorely that poor girl was marked
for misfortune. In all the six years
Bruce had possessed Rajah he had
never exhibited anything but docility.
The elephant was not running amuck,
though he might eventually work him.
self into that blind, ungoyernable rage.
Off like that, without the slightest
warning! If Kathlyn could only keep
him clear of the trees, for the old
rogue would do his best to scrape of
the irksome howdah.
Kathlyn heard the shouts from, be-
hind, but she could not understand
whether these were warnings or adj
vice. Could they oyertake her before
she was flung off? She tried to re-
call the elephant talk" Ahmed had
taught her in the old days at the farm |
but just now she was too dazed. At
the end Of an hour all sounds from the
rear ceased; no more pistol shots to
encourage her with the knowledge that
friends were near. Rajah must have
outstripped them two or three miles
At length she came into small
clearing amid the tall jungle grass, a
dead and brittle last years growth
She saw two natives In the act OF kick.
ing out dung fire. Rajah headed dj.
rectfy toward them, the fire evidently
being the line Of path he had chosen.