and has gone in to feed."

The two boys left the party, followed by Akram and Amir Ali, their
gun-bearers. But although they searched the ground well, no sign of a
trail did they see. Getting a little farther from the party all the
time, they proceeded for nearly a mile, and found the forest verging
into a jungle of bamboo.

"Jack," exclaimed Charlie quietly, stopping, "come over here."

Jack and the Indians joined him, and he pointed to the ground a yard
ahead. There, deep in the soft soil, was the fresh spoor of an
elephant--and at its size the Indians gave a gasp of wonder. It was the
rogue!

CHAPTER XVIII

LOST!

Charlie looked around. The bamboos were all about them, and without
retracing their steps they could not summon the others. Jack gripped his
arm.

"Look here, Chuck! Let's cut away from the General an' get after that
rogue ourselves!"

"Got to obey orders," and Charlie negatived it with a shake of the head.
"That spoor is too fresh to suit me, Jack."

"Well, then," and Jack was quivering with eagerness; "we can start on
an' send Akram back--slow. We ain't kids. We can tell pretty well if we
get up on him."

Charlie considered this proposition for a moment. He longed to have the
triumph of downing the old rogue himself, and yet he knew that
Schoverling would countenance no disobedience, no departure from orders.
But that fresh spoor, leading off through the trees, tempted him and at
last he fell.

"All right. Akram, you go back and call the General. But don't hurry.
Tell him that we'll wait for him at the first sign of any danger."

The Indian grinned, saluted, and loitered away. Without hesitation
Charlie turned and led the way along the trail. This followed a
newly-broken path through the bamboos, and five minutes later they were
swallowed up in the dense thickets.

Both the boys had been used, Jack especially, to following the trail of
deer or moose and smaller animals through the woods of the northland,
but this was very different. The ground was soft, and the huge bulk of
the elephant had sent his feet down at times three or four feet.
However, they were able to read the signs of the trail well enough.

"He stopped to feed here," declared Charlie, pointing to a tangle of
broken branches at one side. Wherever possible they trod in his tracks,
as no sticks or twigs remained to crack beneath their feet; the holes in
the swampier ground they of course avoided.

"Hello, what's th