The Moormen
Immediately Informed Us That They Were A Notorious Pair, Who Always
Associated Together, And Were The Dread Of The Neighbourhood.
There were
many tales of their ferocity and daring, which at the time we gave
little heed to.
Crossing the tank in a large canoe, we arrived in the open forest upon
the opposite shore. It was a mass of elephant tracks; which sank deep in
the soft earth. They were all so fresh and confused that tracking was
very difficult. However, we at length fixed upon the tracks of a pair of
elephants, and followed them up. This was a work of considerable time,
but the distant cracking of a bough at length attracted us to their
position, and we shortly came up with them, just as they had winded us
and were moving off. I fired an ineffectual shot at the temple of one,
which separated him from the other, after whom we started in chase at
full speed. Full speed soon ended in a stand-still in such ground; it
was deep, stiff clay, in which we sank over our ankles at every step,
and varied our struggles by occasionally flying sprawling over the
slippery roots of the trees.
The elephants ran clean away from us, and the elephant-catchers, who
knew nothing of the rules for carrying spare guns, entering into the
excitement of the chase, and free from the impediments of shoes, ran
lightly along the muddy ground, and were soon out of sight as well as
the elephants. Still we struggled on, when, presently we heard a shout
and then a shot; then another shout; then the trumpet of an elephant.
Shot after shot then followed with a chorus of shouts; they were
actually firing all our spare guns!
In a few moments we were up with them. In a beautifully open piece of
forest, upon good hard ground, these fellows were having a regular
battle with the rogue. He was charging them with the greatest fury, but
he no sooner selected one man for his object than these active fellows
diverted his rage by firing into his hind-quarters and yelling at him.
At this he would immediately turn and charge another man, when he would
again be assailed as before. When we arrived he immediately selected B.,
and came straight at him, but offered a beautiful shot in doing so, and
B. dropped him dead.
The firing had disturbed a herd of elephants from the forest, and they
had swum the large river in the neighbourhood, which was at that time so
swollen that we could not cross it. We, therefore, struck off to the
edge of the forest, where the waters of the lake washed the roots of the
trees, and from this point we had a fine view of the greater portion.
All the rogues that we had at first counted had retired to their several
entrances in the forest, except the pair of desperadoes already
mentioned--they knew no fear, and had not heeded the shots fired. They
were tempting baits, and we determined to get them if possible. These
two elephants were standing belly-deep in the water, about a quarter of
a mile from the shore; and the question was, `How were we to get near
them?' Having observed that the other rogues had retreated to the forest
at the noise of the firing, it struck me that we might by some ruse
induce these two champions to follow their example, and, by meeting them
on their entrance, we might bring them to action.
Not far upon our left, a long shallow bank, covered with reeds,
stretched into the tank. By wading knee-deep along this shoal, a man
might approach to within 200 paces of the elephants and would be nearly
abreast of them. I, therefore, gave a man a gun, and instructed him to
advance to the extreme end of the shallows, taking care to conceal
himself in the rushes, and when at the nearest point he was to fire at
the elephants. This, I hoped, would drive them to the jungle, where we
should endeavour to meet them.
The Moorman entrusted upon this mission was a plucky fellow, and he
started off, taking a double gun and a few charges of powder and ball.
The elephant-catchers were delighted with the idea, and we patiently
awaited the result. About a quarter of an hour passed away, when we
suddenly saw a puff of white smoke spring from the green rushes at the
point of the sandbank. A few moments after, we heard the report of the
gun, and we saw the ball splash in the water close to the elephants.
They immediately cocked their ears, and, throwing their trunks high in
the air, they endeavoured to wind the enemy; but they did not move, and
they shortly again commenced feeding upon the water-lilies. Another shot
from the same place once more disturbed them, and, while they winded the
unseen enemy, two more shots in quick succession from the old quarter
decided their opinion, and they stalked proudly through the water
towards the shore.
Our satisfaction was great, but the delight of the elephant-catchers
knew no bounds. Away they, started along the shores of the lake, hopping
from root to root, skipping through the mud, which was more than a foot
deep, their light forms hardly sinking in the tough surface. A
nine-stone man certainly has an advantage over one of twelve in this
ground; added to this, I was carrying the long two-ounce rifle of
sixteen pounds, which, with ammunition, &c., made up about thirteen and
a half stone, in deep stiff clay. I was literally half-way up the calf
of my leg in mud at every step, while these light, naked fellows tripped
like snipe over the sodden ground. Vainly I called upon them to go
easily; their moment of excitement was at its full pitch, and they were
soon out of sight among the trees and underwood, taking all the spare
guns, except the four-ounce rifle, which, weighing twenty-one pounds,
effectually prevented the bearer from leaving us behind,
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 25 of 90
Words from 24538 to 25573
of 91283
