ually becoming exhausted through terror and the exertion of
holding on.

"Strange to say, now and then the man appeared to regain control over
the beast, though only for a few seconds. During one of these intervals
he even succeeded in making Mowla Buksh partially sit down.

"`Och! now or niver! Off wid ye!' yelled a splitting voice close to my
ear! I need not tell you whose voice that was, or that its owner was
skipping about like a gorilla, almost as mad as the elephant!"

"Ah! sor," interrupted Quin, "don't ye remimber how yourself was--but
I'll have mercy on ye! Go on, sor."

"Well, I confess," resumed Jackman, "that I was a little excited.
However, the Bulrampore men echoed Quin's advice in eagerly expressed
Hindustani. The mahowt took it, slipped to the ground, and ran for his
life! Fortunately the excited Mowla either did not perceive or did not
care. He rose up and recommenced his work of destruction.

"All this time he had been freeing himself from the ropes, with which he
was imperfectly bound. At last he detached them entirely, and began to
make furious rushes in every direction.

"At that critical moment our Director arrived on the scene. Seeing how
matters stood he at once gave orders to have the fighting elephants
brought to the front, as the only chance that remained to bring the
mischief to an end. The orders were gladly and promptly obeyed.

"Before they arrived, however, Mowla Buksh, in one of his rushes, came
straight to where Quin and I were standing--"

"Skippin', sor, ye said."

"Well, skipping. But we stopped skipping at once, and took to running
as hard as we could. We both ran through some soft reedy ground, where
the brute overtook us. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him knock
Quin into the rushes and set his enormous foot on him--"

"Oh! was he killed?" exclaimed Junkie with a look of consternation at
the now heroic Quin!

There was a general burst of laughter, in which Junkie joined, for he
saw the absurdity of the question, which sudden anxiety had forced from
him.

"But why wasn't you killed?" he asked almost indignantly.

"Whisht! honey, an' ye'll hear, av ye'll howld your tongue."

"You must know," continued Jackman, "that the place he had tumbled into
was wet, soft ground, and Quin has a sharp way of looking after his
life! Although half stunned he rolled to one side, so that only the
side of the great foot came down on his shoulder and thrust him deep
i