The understanding elephant at once curled its trunk invitingly and
cocked its great ears forward. Frank did as he was directed and found
himself raised in the air until he was able to get on to the elephant's
head and from it scrambled on to the pad. Dermot followed and seated
himself astride the huge neck.

"_Mul_! (Go on!)" he ejaculated.

With a swaying, lurching stride Badshah at once moved across the
clearing, followed by the transport elephant, on to which a _mahout_ and
a coolie had climbed, and plunged into the dense undergrowth which was
so high that it nearly closed over the riders' heads. The sudden change
from the blinding glare of the sun to the enchanting green gloom of the
forest, from the intense heat to the refreshing coolness of the shade,
was delightful.

Beyond the clearing the vegetation was tangled and rank, high grass
concealing thorny shrubs, tall matted bushes covered with large, white,
bell-shaped flowers, all so dense that men on foot could not push their
way through. But it divided like water before the leading elephant's
weight and strength. The trees were now not the lesser growths of
bamboo, lime and sago-palm that covered the foot-hills. They were the
great forest giants, enormous teak, _sal_ and _simal_ trees, towering up
bare of branches for a good height above the ground, rising to the green
canopy overhead and thrusting their leafy crowns through it, seeking
their share of the sunlight. Their massive branches were matted thick
with the glossy green leaves of orchid-plants and draped with long
trails of the beautiful mauve and white blossoms of the exotic flowers.
Hanging from the highest branches or swinging between the massive boles
creepers of every kind rioted in bewildering confusion, a chaos of
natural cordage, of festooned _lianas_ thick as a liner's hawser, some
twisting around each other, others coiling about the tree-trunks, biting
deep into the bark or striving to strangle them in a cruel grip. Not
even the elephants' weight and strength could burst through the stout
network of these creepers in places. While they tore at the obstructions
with their trunks it was necessary for their drivers to hack through the
creepers with their sharp _kukris_--the heavy curved knives carried in
their belts and similar to the Gurkha's favourite weapon.

Here and there the party came upon glades free from undergrowth, where
in the cool shade of the great trees the ground was knee-deep