It Was Very Bad Luck, As
The Herd Consisted Of Eleven; But The Ground Was Very Unfavourable, And
My Leg Gave Way When It Was Most Required.
A few days after this, the tents were pitched on the banks of the broad
river of Pattapalaar, about eight miles beyond Nielgalla.
Elephants were
very scarce, and the only chance of getting them, was to work hard. We
were on horseback at break of day, and having forded the river, we rode
silently through plain and forest in search of tracks. We refused every
shot at deer, lest we should disturb the country, and scare away the
elephants.
We had ridden for some distance upon an elephant path, through a
tolerably open forest at the foot of a range of rocky mountains, when
Banda, who was some paces in advance, suddenly sprang back again,
crying, 'Wallaha! wallaha!' (Bears! bears!) We were off our horses in a
moment, but I fell sprawling upon my back, my leg being so powerless and
numbed that I could not feel when I touched the ground. I recovered
myself just in time to see a bear waddling along through the jungle, and
I pushed after him in pursuit at my best pace. V. had disappeared in the
jungle in pursuit of another bear, and I presently heard two or three
shots. In the meantime my game had slackened speed to a careless kind of
swaggering walk; and the underwood being rather thick, I was determined
to get close to him before I fired, as I knew that I could not follow
him far, and my success would therefore depend upon the first shot.
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