"Let us after him at once, then," cried Caspar; "and be our motto,
`_Death to the rogue_'!"

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

A HOME IN RUINS.

Without further delay, our adventurers took the back track towards the
hut, which was exactly that which the elephant had taken--as they could
tell by traces of the animal all along the route, which the experienced
eye of the shikaree had already discovered, and which he now pointed out
to his companions as they passed on. Here and there its great
footprints were visible in the turf, in places where the ground was
soft; and at other places where no tracks appeared, leaves and twigs
freshly strewn upon the earth, and also branches of considerable size
broken off from the trees, and borne for some distance before being
dropped, clearly indicated to Ossaroo the route which the rogue had
taken.

The shikaree had often followed the spoor of wild elephants through the
jungles of Bengal, and knew everything about their way of travelling.
He was therefore able to tell the others that the rogue had not been
browsing as he went--for the leaves and twigs showed no signs of his
teeth--but on the contrary, he had moved forward rapidly, and as if with
some special determination. The broken branches which they saw were
more likely to have been torn off out of spite at the ill-usage he had
received, and the disappointment at not having succeeded in his purposes
of vengeance.

It did not need for Ossaroo to caution his companions to circumspection.
They knew as well as he that an elephant enraged as this one was,
whether a _rogue_ elephant or an _honest_ one, was anything but a safe
customer to come in contact with; and that this particular rogue was
most particularly angry they had just had both ocular and auricular
evidence.

They went forward, therefore, with unusual caution, taking care to keep
both their eyes and ears on the alert, and at the same time moving in
perfect silence, or conversing only in whispers.

The path upon which they were returning was not that by which they had
gone forth. The reconnoissance of the cliffs had carried them a good
distance around the edge of the valley; but now they were following the
track taken by the elephant, which, as already ascertained by Ossaroo,
led almost in a direct line to the hut.

As they drew nearer to their rude habitation, they saw indications that
the enemy was still before them. As they knew that in the immediate
neighbourhood of