I do not know the points of an elephant as well as those of a horse,
the want of the tuft was the only mark I could distinguish. However, the
science of elephant-flesh seemed to be as deep and full of mysteries as
that of horse-flesh.

Having finished our inspection, and the pay of an unsuccessful mahout or
two having been stopped, Jung entered into a long disquisition upon the
subject of the wild sports of the Terai. He told us, amongst other
things, that he had forbidden all deer-shooting here, although the
revenue to Government upon the skins amounted to 400 or 500 pounds a
year, in order that he might enjoy better shooting. Of course, we
praised the love of sport which could prompt such an order, and said
nothing of the love of country which might perhaps have prevented it. I
was often struck by the despotic tone which the prime minister assumed,
and it only confirmed my previous opinion as to his substantially
possessing the sovereign power.

We killed five or six more deer and pigs before quitting Bisoleah on the
following day, our road to Bechiacor leading us through the great forest,
at this season perfectly healthy. We found our camp pitched in the broad
dry bed of a mountain torrent, which I observed to be filled with
fragments of granite and micaceous schist.

As the shades of evening closed in upon the valley, the scene became
extremely interesting: high upon the hill sides,--for we had reached the
base of the Cheriagotty hills,--groups of natives, crouching round their
fires, were sheltered only by grass huts, the labour of an hour. While
lights twinkled in the minister's camp, soldiers were gathered round
their watch-fires, and the villagers were assembled near a huge crackling
blaze to witness so unusual, and to them so exciting a scene, as 5000
souls encamped in their solitary valley.

CHAPTER V.

_March to Hetowra--Cross the Cheriagotty Hills--Scenes of the war of 1815-
16--Preparations for a wild-elephant hunt--The herd in full cry--A
breakneck country--Furious charges of wild elephants--The lost
child--Return to camp_.

Early on the following morning we were on the march, and for five miles
did our clumsy elephant trip it heavily over the large stones forming the
bed of the stream in which we had been encamped the previous night. I
fear the beauty of the scenery did not so well compensate him for the
badness of the road as his more fortunate riders. To see a hill at a
distance a