laughed.

"It's all right," he said; "they always do that. The holes are the old
footprints of other elephants, or their own, when they came along here
before, and they get deeper and deeper, and full of mud and water.
Elephants always keep to the old footprints, because they believe they
are safe."

"But he could make them go on the hard ground."

Frank said something to the driver, who smiled as he replied.

"I told him what you said, and he says nobody could make an elephant
step out of them. Look back; the other one is doing just the same."

That was plain enough, and Ned now turned his eyes on Tim, who was
seated cross-legged in the hind corner of the howdah, with his arms
resting on the edge.

"Ye'll soon get used to it, sor," he said, smiling. "Shakes ye up
wondherful though at first. They're great onaisy pigs to ride. Would
either of you gentlemen object to my shmoking my pipe?"

"Oh no, smoke away, Tim, but don't make a noise with the match."

"Nivver fear," was the reply; and the man began to prepare his
bamboo-pipe, while Ned gazed wonderingly at the narrow view of the dense
growth on either side, and the way in which the trees were laced
together over their heads by rattan-canes and other creepers, whose
leafage helped the spreading boughs far overhead to shut out the
faintest ray of sunshine. In front, the way was blocked by the
hind-quarters of the elephant Murray was on; behind, the smaller
elephant with the provisions shut in the track, so that the spearmen who
followed could only at intervals be seen, and the gloom grew deeper as
_suck_, _suck_, the elephants drew their great limbs from the track
holes, or plunged them in, sending a gush of mud and water flying out on
either side.

"Is the forest all like this?" said Ned at last.

"The jungle is."

"But are there no other paths?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then how do the animals get about?"

"Oh, some use these tracks, but the tigers and bears creep along under
and through the trees and bushes. They can go anywhere. We couldn't,
without the men cut a way for us."

_Skrit_, _skrat_, _skrat_! went Tim's match loudly, and the elephant
uttered a tremendous squeal, plunged forward, and ran its head against
the hind-quarters of the one in front, which trumpeted shrilly, and
catching the panic rushed on; the store elephant following, in spite of
the mahouts, who strove hard to check them in their headlong course, but
in vain.

"Do