him in the forearm; he rolled over roaring
with rage, and then descrying his assailants, he bounded into the
open, and as well as his wound would allow him, came furiously down at
the charge. In less time however than it takes to write it, he had
received three bullets in his body, and tumbled down a lifeless heap.
We raised a cheer which brought the beaters and elephants quickly to
the spot. In coming through a thickly wooded part of the forest, with
numerous long and pliant creepers intertwisted into a confused tangle
of rope-like ligaments, the old Juddeah elephant tore down one of the
long lines, and dislodged an angry army of venomous red ants on the
occupants of the guddee, or cushioned seat on the elephant's pad. The
ants proved formidable assailants. There were two or three Baboos or
native gentlemen, holding on to the ropes, chewing pan, and enjoying
the scene, but the red ants were altogether more than they had
bargained for. Recognising the Baboos as the immediate cause of their
disturbance, they attacked them with indomitable courage. The mahout
fairly yelled with pain, and one of the Baboos, smarting from the
fiery bites of the furious insects, toppled clean backwards into the
undergrowth, showing an undignified pair of heels. The other two
danced on the guddee, sweeping and thrashing the air, the cushion, and
their clothes, with their cummerbunds, in the vain effort to free
themselves of their angry assailants. The guddee was literally covered
with ants; it looked an animated red mass, and the wretched Baboos
made frantic efforts to shake themselves clear. They were dreadfully
bitten, and reaching the open, they slid off the elephant, and even on
the ground continued their saltatory antics before finally getting rid
of their ferocious assailants.

In forest shooting the red ant is one of the most dreaded pests of the
jungle. If a colony gets dislodged from some overhanging branch, and
is landed in your howdah, the best plan is to evacuate your stronghold
as quickly as you can, and let the attendants clear away the invaders.
Their bite is very painful, and they take such tenacious hold, that
rather than quit their grip, they allow themselves to be decapitated
and leave their head and formidable forceps sticking in your flesh.

Other dreaded foes in the forest jungle are the Bhowra or ground bees,
which are more properly a kind of hornet. If by evil chance your
elephant should tread on their mound-like nest