taking to the jungle. Palliser
fired an ineffectual shot at him at a long range, and the day closed. It
was moonlight when we reached the 'amblam': the bag for that day being
five elephants, and two bucks.

Dec. 9.--We had alarmed this part of the country; and after spending a
whole morning in wandering over a large extent of ground without seeing
a fresh track of an elephant, we determined to move on to Nielgalla,
eight miles from the 'amblam.' We accordingly packed up, and started off
our coolies by the direct path, while we made a long circuit by another
route, in the hope of meeting with heavy game.

After riding about four miles, our path lay through a dense forest up
the steep side of a hill. Over this was a narrow road, most difficult
for a horse to ascend, on account of the large masses of rocks, which
choked the path from the base to the summit. Leaving the horse-keepers
with the horses to scramble up as they best could, we took our guns and
went on in advance. We had nearly reached the summit of this pass, when
we came suddenly upon some fragments of chewed leaves and branches,
lying in the middle of the path. The saliva was still warm upon them,
and the dung of an elephant lay in the road in a state which proved his
close vicinity. There were no tracks, of course, as the path was
nothing but a line of piled rocks, from which the forest had been lately
cleared, and the elephants had just been disturbed by the clattering of
the horses' hoofs in ascending the rugged pass.

Banda had run on in front about fifty yards before us, but we had no
sooner arrived on the summit of the hill, than we saw him returning at a
flying pace towards us, with an elephant chasing him in full speed.

It was an exciting scene while it lasted: with the activity of a deer,
he sprang from rock to rock, while we of course ran to his assistance,
and arrived close to the elephant just as Banda had reached a high block
of stone, which furnished him an asylum. A shot from Palliser brought
the elephant upon his knees, but, immediately recovering himself, he
ran round a large rock. I ran round the other side, and killed him dead
within four paces.

Upon descending the opposite side of the pass, we arrived in flat
country, and on the left of the road we saw another elephant, a 'rogue',
in high lemon grass. We tried to get a shot at him, but it was of
no use; the grass was so high and thick, that after trying several
experiments, we declin