ing elephants, who were facing us. The wind was pretty brisk, and
the ant-hills effectually concealed us till we were within seven paces
of our game. The two leaders then both dropped dead to the front shot,
and the fun began. The guns were so well handed up, that we knocked over
the six elephants before they had given us a run of twenty yards, and we
all closed up and ran under the tail of the retreating elephant that we
had devoted to the ropes. He was going at about seven miles an hour;
we therefore had no difficulty in keeping up with him, as we could
run between the ant-hills much faster than he could. The ropes were in
readiness, and with great dexterity, one of the Moormen slipped a noose
over one of his hind feet, as he raised it from the ground; and
drawing it tight, he dropped his coil. We all halted, and allowed the
unconscious elephant to run out his length of line; this he soon did,
and the rope trailed after him like a long snake, we all following at
about the centre of the length of rope, or twenty paces behind him.
He was making for the jungle, which was not far distant, and we were
running him like a pack of hounds, but keeping a gun in readiness, lest
he should turn and charge. He at length reached the wooded bank of a dry
river, and thick rattan jungle bordered the opposite side; he thought he
was safe, and he plunged down the crumbling bank. We were a little too
quick for him, by taking a double turn round a tree with the slack end
of the rope just as he descended the bank; the effect of this was to
bring him to a sudden standstill, and the stretching of the hide rope
threw him upon his knees. He recovered himself immediately, and used
extraordinary efforts to break away; tightening the rope to its utmost
length, he suddenly lifted up his tied leg and threw his whole weight
forward. Any but a hide rope of that diameter must have given way, but
this stretched like a harp-string, and at every effort to break it, the
yielding elasticity of the hide threw him upon his head, and the sudden
contraction after the fall, jerked his leg back to its full length.

After many vain, but tremendous efforts to free himself, he turned his
rage upon his pursuers, and charged everyone right and left; but he was
safely tied, and we took some little pleasure in teasing him. He had
no more chance than a fly in a spider's web. As he charged in one
direction, several nooses were thrown round his hind legs; then his
trunk was