In This Instance There Were Only Three Elephants--A Large Bull, With A
Mother And Her Young One, Or What We Call A 'poonchy.' On Entering The
Korrakan Field We Distinctly Heard Them Breaking The Boughs At No Great
Distance.
We waited for some time to see if they would return to the
field; but they apparently were aware of some impending danger, as they
did not move from their strong position.
This was a cunning family of
elephants, as they had retreated 'down wind,' and the jungle being so
thick that we could with difficulty follow even upon their track, made
it very doubtful whether we should kill them.
We cautiously entered. It was one mass of thorns, and we were shortly
compelled to crawl upon our hands and knees. This was arduous work, as
we had great difficulty in carrying the guns so as to avoid the
slightest noise. I was leading the way, and could distinctly hear the
rustling of the leaves as the elephants moved their ears. We were now
within a few feet of them, but not an inch of their bodies could be
seen, so effectually were they hidden by the thick jungle. Suddenly we
heard the prolonged wh-r-r, wh-r-r-r-r-r, as one of the elephants winded
us: the shrill trumpet sounded in another direction, and the crash
through the jungle took place which nothing but an elephant can produce.
In such dense jungle, where the elephants are invisible, this crash is
most exciting if close at hand, as in the present instance.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 73 of 343
Words from 19304 to 19570
of 91283