le game was reported to be ensconced. On
reaching the scene of action we formed into a line and beat regularly the
whole length of the patch. We were not destined to wait long, and the
crack of my friend's rifle soon sounded in my ears. He had wounded the
tiger severely, and the animal had again disappeared in the long grass.
We were now on the alert, as it was impossible he could escape us; and in
a few moments I had the satisfaction of seeing him bounding through the
grass at about thirty yards' distance. The report of my rifle was
quickly followed by three more shots as he passed down the line, and he
fell dead at the feet of the minister, with five balls in his body.

In the evening, after our return from a good day's sport, we paid Jung
Bahadoor a visit in his tent, and went with him to see the elephants
which had been caught for the service of the Government during his year's
absence from the country. In a square enclosure were upwards of two
hundred elephants of all sorts and sizes. Here might be seen an elephant
fastened between two others, and kept quiet only by being dragged
continually in two different directions at once, no mahout having yet
ventured to mount him; while, in evident terror at her proximity to such
a monster, stood an anxious mother performing maternal duties to a young
one not much larger than a calf, who was in no way puzzled by the
position of the udder between her fore legs, but by a dexterous use of
his trunk helped himself in a manner wonderfully precocious for so young
a baby; indeed, he seemed very much pleased with having a trunk to play
with, and certainly had a great advantage over most babies in possessing
so permanent a plaything. Behind this interesting party stood a large
elephant, with huge tusks, which had been chiefly instrumental in the
capture of the victims he was now grimly surveying at a considerable
distance, it not being safe to let him approach too near, as he seemed to
be under the delusion that every elephant he saw still required to be
caught. Each mahout now brought forward the prizes he had captured since
the commencement of the year, and they were severally inspected: those
which had no tufts of hair at the tips of their tails, or were in any way
deformed, were put aside to be sold to unwary purchasers in India; while
those approved by his Excellency were reserved for the use of government,
or, to speak in plainer language, for his shooting parties.

As