ach 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.

What added materially to the annoyance of losing the spare guns was the
thoughtless character of the advance. I felt sure that these fellows
would outrun the position of the elephants, which,