e over me an ferns all round about. I tuk me rifle, av coorse, just
for company, you know, but not to shoot, for I'm not bloodthirsty, by no
means. Well, I hadn't bin long down whin a rustle in the laves towld me
that somethin' was comin', an' sure enough down trotted a little deer--
as purty a thing as you could wish to see. It took a dhrink, tremblin'
all the time, an' there was good cause, for another rustlin' was heard.
Off wint the deer, just as a panther o' some sort jumped out o' the
jungle an' followed it. Bad luck go wid ye says I; but I'd scarce said
it whin a loud crashing in the jungle towld me a buffalo or an elephant
was comin'. It was an elephant. He wint an' took a long pull at the
pool. After that he goes straight to the post. Ha! says I, it's an
owld friend o' yours, I see. When he putt his great side agin' it, for
the purpose of scratchin', he got a shock from my electrical contrivance
that caused his tail to stand upon end, and the hairs at its point to
quiver. Wid a grunt he stood back an' gave the post a look o' surprise,
as much as to say, Did ye do that a-purpose, ye spalpeen? Then he tried
it again, an' got another shock that sot up his dander, for he twisted
his long nose round the post, goin' to pull it down, no doubt, but he
got another shock on the nose that made him squeal an' draw back. Then
he lowered his great head for a charge. It's all over wid ye now, me
post, says I; but the baste changed its mind, and wint off wid its tail
an' trunk in the air, trumpetin' as if it had got the toothache. Well,
after that nothin' came for some time, and I think I must have gone off
to slape, for I was awoke by a most tremendious roar. Lookin' up I saw
a tiger sprawlin' on his back beside the post! Av coorse the shock
wasn't enough to have knocked the baste over. I suppose it had tripped
in the surprise. Anyhow it jumped up and seized the post with claws an'
teeth, whin av coorse it got another shock that caused it to jump back
about six yards, with its tail curled, its hair all on end, all its
claws out, an' its eyes blazin'. You seem to feel it, says I--into
meself, for fear he'd hear me. He didn't try it again, but wint away
into the bush like a war-rocket. After that, five or six little wild
pigs came down, an' the smallest wan wint straight up to the post an'
putt his nose to it. He drew back wid a jerk, an' gave a scream that
seemed to rend all his vitals. You don't like it, t