I quickly mounted "Greedy Grey" and told Suleiman to send on my rifles
directly, with ammunition.
I ordered my men to run up the heights, and to come down at about 200
paces in the rear of the elephants, where they were to form a line as
though in skirmishing order. This line of red shirts would most probably
check the elephants from rushing back. My men had orders to fire at the
elephants, and to endeavour to turn them should they attempt a retreat.
I was now on "Greedy Grey;" the sloping ground was as clean as a
race-course, I therefore galloped up the incline so as to keep above the
elephants. The horse flew along at full speed. At this moment, a chorus
of shouts from great numbers of natives who had collected on the east
bank of the river was raised in admiration of the white horse, which
they probably thought would in some manner seize the elephants.
In a very few seconds I reined up on the slope, about a hundred yards
above the herd, which had now halted close to the river's bank. They
regarded the horse with some curiosity, and massed themselves together.
In the meantime, my "Forty," who were capital runners, were moving
rapidly along the heights, and they presently came down, and formed in a
long, open line from the edge of the river up the slope. During this
operation, the elephants only moved their ears and trunks, but remained
in the same position. They were now completely surrounded; the diahbeeah
and my people were in their front, I was above them on one flank, and
the servants were coming up with the rifles. In their rear was a line of
about twenty soldiers, and on the other flank was the deep river, about
110 yards wide from the mainland to the island.
Just as the rifles were within a few yards of me and I was preparing to
dismount, the elephants wheeled suddenly round, and took to water.
They had been standing in a low, swampy spot that was frequently
overflowed: thus they had no difficulty in descending to the river.
Close to this place, the banks were perpendicular, and as hard as brick.
I ran down to the river, but by the time of my arrival, the elephants
had gained the opposite bank; there, however, they were in a difficulty.
The water was deep, and the shore of the island was perpendicular, and
about six feet above the water.
