The experience of modern practice has hardly decided the vexed question
"whether the African species is more difficult to train than the gentle
elephant of Asia." In a wild state there can be no doubt that the
African is altogether a different animal both in appearance and in
habits; it is vastly superior in size, and although of enormous bulk, it
is more active and possesses greater speed than the Asiatic variety. Not
only is the marked difference in shape a distinguishing peculiarity,--the
hollow back, the receding front, the great size of the ears,--but the
skin is rougher, and more decided in the bark-like appearance of its
texture.
The period of gestation is considered to be the same as the Asiatic
elephant, about twenty-two months, but this must be merely conjecture,
as there has hitherto been no actual proof. My own experience induces me
to believe that the African elephant is more savage, and although it may
be tamed and rendered docile, it is not so dependable as the Asiatic.
Only last year I saw an African female in a menagerie who had killed her
keeper, and was known to be most treacherous. Her attendant informed me
that she was particularly fond of change, and would welcome a new keeper
with evident signs of satisfaction, but after three or four days she
would tire of his society and would assuredly attempt to injure him,
either by backing and squeezing him against the wall, or by kicking
should he be within reach of her hind legs.
Few persons are aware of the extreme quickness with which an elephant
can kick, and the great height that can be reached by this mischievous
use of the hind foot. I have frequently seen an elephant kick as sharp
as a small pony, and the effect of a blow from so ponderous a mass
propelled with extreme velocity may be imagined. This is a peculiar
action, as the elephant is devoid of hocks, and it uses the knees of the
hind legs in a similar manner to those of a human being, therefore a
backward kick would seem unnatural; but the elephant can kick both
backwards and forwards with equal dexterity, and this constitutes a
special means of defence against an enemy, which seldom escapes when
exposed to such a game between the fore and hind feet of the infuriated
animal.
Although it is generally believed that an elephant moves the legs upon
each side simultaneously, like the camel, it does not actually touch the
ground with each foot upon the same side at exactly the same moment, but
the fore foot touches the surface first, rapidly followed by the hind,
and in both cases the heel is the first portion of the foot that reaches
its destination. The effect may be seen in the feet of an elephant after
some months' continual marching upon hard ground: the heels are worn
thin and are quite polished, as though they had been worn down by the
friction of sand-paper,-in fact, they are in the same condition as the
heels of an old boot.
The Indian native princes do not admire the African elephant, as it
combines many points which are objectionable to their peculiar ideas of
elephantine proportions. According to their views, the hollow back of an
African elephant would amount to a deformity. The first time that I ever
saw a large male of that variety I was of the same opinion. I was
hunting with the Hamran Arabs in a wild and uninhabited portion of
Abyssinia, along the banks of the Settite river, which is the main
stream of the Atbara, the chief affluent of the Nile.
As before stated, I have already published an account of these wonderful
hunters in the Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia, and it is sufficient to
describe them as the most fearless and active followers of the chase,
armed with no other weapon than the long, straight, two-edged Arab
sword, with which they attack all animals, from the elephant and
rhinoceros to the lion and buffalo. The sword is sharpened to the finest
degree, and the blade is protected for about six inches above the
cross-hilt with thick string, bound tightly round so as to afford a grip
for the right hand, while the left grips the hilt in the usual manner.
This converts the ordinary blade into a two-handed sword, a blow from
which will sever a naked man into two halves if delivered at the waist.
It may be imagined that a quick cut from such a formidable weapon will
at once divide the hamstring of any animal. The usual method of
attacking the elephant is as follows:-Three, or at the most four mounted
hunters sally forth in quest of game. When the fresh tracks of elephants
are discovered they are steadily followed up until the herd, or perhaps
the single animal, is found. If a large male with valuable tusks, it is
singled out and separated from the herd. The leading hunter follows the
retreating elephant, accompanied by his companions in single file. After
a close hunt, keeping within 10 yards of the game, a sudden halt becomes
necessary, as the elephant turns quickly round and faces its pursuers.
The greatest coolness is required, as the animal, now thoroughly roused,
is prepared to charge. The hunters separate to right and left, leaving
the leader to face the elephant. After a few moments, during which the
hunter insults the animal by shouting uncomplimentary remarks concerning
the antecedents of its mother, and various personal allusions to
imaginary members of the family, the elephant commences to back a
half-dozen paces as a preliminary to a desperate onset. This is the
well-known sign of the coming charge. A sharp shrill trumpet! and, with
its enormous ears thrown forward, the great bull elephant rushes towards
the apparently doomed horse. As quick as lightning the horse is turned,
and a race commences along a course terribly in favour of the elephant,
where deep ruts, thick tangled bush, and the branches of opposing trees
obstruct both horse and rider. Everything now depends upon the
sure-footedness of the horse and the cool dexterity of the rider. For
the first 100 yards an elephant will follow at 20 miles an hour, which
keeps the horse flying at top speed before it. The rider, even in this
moment of great danger, looks behind him, and adapts his horse's pace so
narrowly to that of his pursuer that the elephant's attention is wholly
absorbed by the hope of overtaking the unhappy victim.
In the meantime, two hunters follow the elephant at full gallop; one
seizes his companion's reins and secures the horse, while the rider
springs to the ground with the same agility as a trained circus-rider,
and with one dexterous blow of his flashing sword he divides the back
sinew of the elephant's hind leg about 16 inches above the heel. The
sword cuts to the bone. The elephant that was thundering forward at a
headlong speed suddenly halts; the foot dislocates when the great weight
of the animal presses upon it deprived of the supporting sinew. That one
cut of the sharp blade, disables an animal which appeared invincible.
As the elephant moves both legs upon the same side simultaneously, the
disabling of one leg entirely cripples all progress, and the creature
becomes absolutely helpless. The hunter, having delivered his fatal
stroke, springs nimbly upon one side to watch the effect, and then
without difficulty he slashes the back sinew of the remaining leg, with
the result that the animal bleeds to death. This is a cruel method, but
it requires the utmost dexterity and daring on the part of the hunters,
most of whom eventually fall victims to their gallantry.
I was accompanied by these splendid sword-hunters of the Hamran Arabs in
1861 during my exploration of the Nile tributaries of Abyssinia; and
upon the first occasion that I was introduced to an African male
elephant, the animal was standing at the point of a long sandbank which
had during high water formed the bed of the river, where a sudden bend
had hollowed out the inner side of the curve and thrown up a vast mass
of sand upon the opposite shore. This bank was a succession of terraces,
each about 4 feet high, formed at intervals during the changes in the
level of the retreating stream. The elephant was standing partly in the
water drinking, and quite 100 yards from the forest upon the bank. The
huge dark mass upon the glaring surface of white sand stood out in bold
relief and exhibited to perfection the form and proportions of the
animal; but it was so unlike the Indian elephant of my long experience
that I imagined some accident must have caused a deformity of the back,
which was deeply hollowed, instead of being convex like the Asiatic
species. I whispered this to my hunters, who did not seem to understand
the remark; and they immediately dismounted, exclaiming that the loose
sand was too deep for their horses, and they preferred to be on foot.
It was difficult to approach this elephant, as there was no cover
whatever upon the large area of barren sand; the only method was to keep
close to the level of the water below the terraces, as the head of the
animal was partially turned away from us whilst drinking. I had a very
ponderous single rifle weighing 22 lbs., which carried a conical shell
of half a pound, with a charge of 16 drams of powder. The sand was so
deep that any active movement would have been impossible with the load
of so heavy a weapon; I therefore determined to take a shoulder shot
should I be able to arrive unperceived within 50 yards. Stooping as low
as possible, and occasionally lying down as the ever-swinging head moved
towards us, we at length arrived at the spot which I had determined upon
for the fatal shot. Just at that moment the elephant perceived us, but
before he had made up his mind, I fired behind the shoulder, and as the
smoke cleared, I distinctly saw the bullet-hole, with blood flowing from
the wound. I think the elephant would have charged, but without a
moment's hesitation my gallant Hamrans rushed towards him sword in hand
in the hope of slashing his hamstring before he could reach the forest.
This unexpected and determined onset decided the elephant to retreat,
which he accomplished at such a pace, owing to the large surface of his
feet upon the loose sand, that the active hunters were completely
distanced, although they exerted themselves to the utmost in their
attempts to overtake him.
The wound through the shoulder was fatal, and the elephant fell dead in
thick thorny jungle, to which it had hurried as a secure retreat. This
was a very large animal, but as I did not actually measure it, any guess
at the real height would be misleading. As before noted, the measurement
of the African elephant Jumbo, when sold by the Zoological Society of
London, was 11 feet in height of shoulder, and 6 tons 10 cwts. nett when
weighed before shipment at the docks. That animal might be accepted as a
fair specimen, although it would be by no means unusual to see wild
elephants which greatly exceed this size.
The peculiar shape of head renders a front shot almost impossible, and
the danger of hunting the African elephant is greatly enhanced by this
formation of the skull, which protects the brain and offers no defined
point for aim.
I have never succeeded in killing a male African elephant by the
forehead shot, although it is certainly fatal to the Asiatic variety if
placed rather low, in the exact centre of the boss or projection above
the trunk. Should an African elephant charge, there is no hope of
killing the animal by a direct shot, and the only chance of safety for
the hunter is the possession of good nerves and a powerful
double-barrelled rifle, No. 8 or No. 4, with 14 drams of powder and a
well-hardened bullet. The right-hand barrel will generally stop a
charging elephant if the bullet is well placed very low, almost in the
base of the trunk. Should this shot succeed in turning the animal, the
left-hand barrel would be ready for a shot in the exact centre of the
shoulder; after which, time must be allowed for the elephant to fall
from internal haemorrhage.
There is no more fatal policy in hunting dangerous game than a contempt
of the animal, exhibited by a selection of weapons of inferior calibre.
Gunmakers in London of no practical experience, but who can only trust
to the descriptions of those who have travelled in wild countries,
cannot possibly be trusted as advisers. Common sense should be the
guide, and surely it requires no extraordinary intelligence to
understand that a big animal requires a big bullet, and that a big
bullet requires a corresponding charge of powder, which necessitates a
heavy rifle. If the hunter is not a Hercules, he cannot wield his club;
but do not permit him to imagine that he can deliver the same knock-down
blow with a lighter weapon, simply because he cannot use the heavier.
We lost only last year one of the most daring and excellent men, who was
an excellent representative of the type which is embraced in the proud
word "Englishman"--Mr. Ingram--who was killed by a wild female
elephant in Somali-land, simply because he attacked the animal with a
'450 rifle. Although he was mounted, the horse would not face some
prickly aloes which surrounded it, and the elephant, badly but not
really seriously wounded, was maddened by the attack, and, charging
home, swept the unfortunate rider from his saddle and spitted him with
her tusks.
This year (1889) we have to lament the death of another fine specimen of
our countrymen, the Hon. Guy Dawnay, who has been killed by a wild
buffalo in East Africa. The exact particulars will never be ascertained,
but it appears that he was following through thick jungle a wounded
buffalo, which suddenly turned and was not stopped by the rifle.
I cannot conceive anything more dangerous than the attack of such
animals with an inferior weapon. Nothing is more common than the
accounts of partially experienced beginners, who declare that the '450
bore is big enough for anything, because they have happened to kill a
buffalo or rhinoceros by a shoulder shot with such an inferior rifle. If
the animal had been facing them, it would have produced no effect
whatever, except to intensify the charge by maddening the already
infuriated animal.
This is the real danger in the possession of what is called a " handy
small-bore," when in wild countries abounding in dangerous game. You are
almost certain to select for your daily companion the lightest and
handiest rifle, in the same manner that you may use some favourite
walking-stick which you instinctively select from the stand that is
filled with a variety.
All hunters of dangerous animals should accustom themselves to the use
of large rifles, and never handle anything smaller than a '577, weighing
12 lbs., with a solid 650 grain hard bullet, and at the least 6 drams of
powder. I impress this upon all who challenge the dangers of the chase
in tropical climates. No person of average strength will feel the weight
of a 12 lb. rifle when accustomed to its use. Although this is too small
as a rule for heavy game, it is a powerful weapon when the bullet is
hardened by a tough mixture of antimony or quicksilver. A shoulder shot
from such a rifle will kill any animal less than an elephant, and the
front shot, or temple, or behind the ear, will kill any Asiatic
elephant.
I would not recommend so small a bore for heavy thick-skinned game, but
the '577 rifle is a good protector, and you need not fear any animal in
your rambles through the forest when thus armed, whereas the '450 and
even the '500 would be of little use against a charging buffalo.
At the same time it must be distinctly understood that so light a
projectile as 650 grains will not break the bone of an elephant's leg,
neither will it penetrate the skull of a rhinoceros unless just behind
the ear. This is sufficient to establish the inferiority of small-bores.
I have seen in a life's experience the extraordinary vagaries of rifle
bullets, and for close ranges of 20 yards there is nothing, in my
opinion, superior to the old spherical hardened bullet with a heavy
charge of powder. The friction is minimised, the velocity is accordingly
increased, and the hard round bullet neither deflects nor alters its
form, but it cuts through intervening branches and goes direct to its
aim, breaking bones and keeping a straight course through the animal.
This means death.
At the same time it must be remembered that a '577 rifle may be enabled
to perform wonders by adapting the material of the bullet to the purpose
specially desired. No soft-skinned animal should be shot with a hardened
bullet, and no hard-skinned animal should be shot with a soft bullet.
You naturally wish to kill your animal neatly--to double it up upon the
spot. This you will seldom or never accomplish with a very hard bullet
and a heavy charge of powder, as the high velocity will drive the hard
projectile so immediately through the animal that it receives no
striking energy, and is accordingly unaware of a fatal wound that it may
have received, simply because it has not sustained a shock upon the
impact of a bullet which has passed completely through its body.
To kill a thin-skinned animal neatly, such as a tiger, lion, large deer,
etc. etc., the bullet should be pure lead, unmixed with any other metal.
This will flatten to a certain degree immediately upon impact, and it
will continue to expand as it meets with resistance in passing through
the tough muscles of a large animal, until it assumes the shape of a
fully developed mushroom, which, after an immense amount of damage in
its transit, owing to its large diameter, will remain fixed beneath the
skin upon the side opposite to its place of entry. This bestows the
entire striking energy of the projectile, and the animal succumbs to the
tremendous shock, which it would not have felt had the bullet passed
through, carrying on its striking energy until stopped by some other
object beyond.
I must repeat that although gunmakers object to the use of pure lead for
rifle bullets, upon the plea that lead will form a coating upon the
inner surface of the barrel, and that more accurate results will be
obtained in target practice by the use of hardened metal, the argument
does not apply to sporting practice. You seldom fire more than half a
dozen shots from each barrel during the day, and the rifle is well
cleaned each evening upon your return to camp. The accuracy with a pure
leaden bullet is quite sufficient for the comparatively short ranges
necessitated by game-shooting. The arguments of leading the barrel,
etc., cannot be supported, and the result is decidedly in favour of pure
lead for all soft-skinned animals.
The elephant requires not only a special rifle, but the strongest
ammunition that can be used without injury to the shooter by recoil. It
is impossible to advocate any particular size of rifle, as it must
depend upon the strength of the possessor. As a rule I do not approve of
shells, as they are comparatively useless if of medium calibre, and can
be only effective when sufficiently large to contain a destructive
bursting charge. I have tried several varieties of shells with
unsatisfactory results, excepting the half-pounder, which contained a
burst bursting charge of 8 drams of the finest grained powder.
This pattern was my own invention, as I found by experience that the
general defect of shells was the too immediate explosion upon impact.
This would cause extensive damage to the surface, but would fail in
penetration.
Picrate of potash was at one time supposed to combine an enormous
explosive power with perfect safety in carriage, as the detonating
shells were proof against the blow of a hammer, and would only explode
upon impact through the extreme velocity of their discharge from a
rifle-barrel. These were useless against an elephant, as they had no
power of penetration, and the shell destroyed itself by bursting upon
the hard skin. I tried these shells against trees, but although the bark
would be shattered over an extensive area, upon every occasion the
projectile failed to penetrate the wood, as it had ceased to exist upon
explosion on the surface.
My half-pound shell was exceedingly simple. A cast-iron bottle, similar
in shape to a German seltzer-water, formed the core, around which the
lead was cast. The neck of the iron bottle projected through the pointed
cone of the projectile, and formed a nipple to receive the
percussion-cap. In external appearance the shell was lead, the iron
bottle being concealed within. Half an ounce of the finest grained
powder was inserted through the nipple by means of a small funnel; this
formed the bursting charge. The cap was only adjusted previous to
loading, as a necessary precaution. This half-pound shell was propelled
by a charge of 16 drams of coarse-grained powder.
I never fired this rifle without killing the animal, but the weapon
could not be claimed as a pleasant companion, the recoil being terrific.
The arrangement of the cap upon a broad-mouthed nipple prevented the
instantaneous explosion that would have taken place with a picrate of
potash shell. A fraction of a second was required to explode the cap
upon impact, and for the cap to ignite the bursting charge; this allowed
sufficient time for the shell to penetrate to the centre of an elephant
before the complete ignition had taken place. The destruction occasioned
by the half-ounce of powder confined within the body of an elephant may
be imagined.
I tried this shell at the forehead of a hippopotamus, which was an
admirable test of penetration before bursting. It went through the
brain, knocked out the back of the skull, and exploded within the neck,
completely destroying the vertebrae of the spine, which were reduced to
pulp, and perforating a tunnel blackened with gunpowder several feet in
length, along which I could pass my arm to the shoulder. The terminus of
the tunnel contained small fragments of lead and iron, pieces of which
were found throughout the course of the explosion.
The improvements in modern rifles will, within the next half-century, be
utterly destructive to the African elephant, which is unprotected by
laws in the absence of all government. For many ages these animals have
contended with savage man in unremitting warfare, but the lance and
arrow have been powerless to exterminate, and the natural sagacity of
the elephant has been sufficient to preserve it from wholesale slaughter
among pitfalls and other snares. The heavy breechloading rifle in the
hands of experienced hunters is a weapon which nothing can withstand,
and the elephants will be driven far away into the wilderness of an
interior where they will be secure from the improved fire-arms of our
modern civilisation.
It is much to be regretted that no system has been organised in Africa
for capturing and training the wild elephants, instead of harrying them
to destruction. In a country where beasts of burden are unknown, as in
equatorial Africa, it appears incredible that the power and the
intelligence of the elephant have been completely ignored. The ancient
coins of Carthage exhibit the African elephant, which in those remote
days was utilised by the Carthaginians; but a native of Africa, if of
the Negro type, will never tame an animal, he only destroys.
When we consider the peculiar power that an elephant possesses for
swimming long distances, and for supporting long marches under an
enormous weight, we are tempted to condemn the apathy even of European
settlers in Africa, who have hitherto ignored the capabilities of this
useful creature. The chief difficulty of African commerce is the lack of
transport. The elephant is admirably adapted by his natural habits for
travelling through a wild country devoid of roads. He can wade through
unbridged streams, or swim the deepest rivers (without a load), and he
is equally at home either on land or water. His carrying power for
continued service would be from 12 to 14 cwts.; thus a single elephant
would convey about 1300 lbs. of ivory in addition to the weight of the
pad. The value of one load would be about 5oo pounds. At the present
moment such an amount of ivory would employ twenty-six carriers; but as
these are generally slaves which can be sold at the termination of the
journey, they might be more profitable than the legitimate transport by
an elephant.
Although the male elephant will carry a far greater load than the
female, through its superior size and strength, it would be dangerous to
manage upon a long journey should it take place during the period, of
"must." I have heard the suggestion that an elephant should be
castrated, as the operation would affect the temper of the animal and
relieve it from the irritation of the "must" period; but such an
operation would be impossible, as the elephant is peculiarly formed,
and, unlike other animals, it has neither scrotum nor testicles
externally. These are situated within the body, and could not be reached
by surgery.
It is well known that the entire males of many domestic animals are
naturally savage. The horse, bull, boar, and the park-fed stag are all
uncertain in their tempers and may be pronounced unsafe; but the male
elephant, although dangerous to a stranger and treacherous to his
attendants, combines an extraordinary degree of cowardice with his
natural ferocity. A few months ago I witnessed a curious example of this
combination in the elephant's character. A magnificent specimen had been
lent to me by the Commissariat Department at Jubbulpur; this was a high
caste bull elephant named Bisgaum that was well known as bad-tempered,
but was supposed to be courageous. He had somewhat tarnished his
reputation during the last season by turning tail upon a tiger that
rushed out of dense bush and killed a coolie within a few yards of his
trunk; but this momentary panic was excused, and the blame was thrown
upon the mahout. The man was dismissed, and a first-rate Punjaubi driver
was appointed in his stead. This man assured me that the elephant was
dependable; I accordingly accepted him, and he was ordered to carry the
howdah throughout the expedition.
In a very short experience we discovered the necessity of giving Bisgaum
a wide berth, as he would fling out his trunk with extreme quickness to
strike a person within his reach, and he would kick out sharply with his
hind leg whenever a native ventured to approach his rear. He took a
fancy to me, as I fed him daily with sugar-canes, jaggery, and native
chupatties (cakes), which quickly established an understanding between
us; but I always took the precaution of standing by his side instead of
in his front, and of resting my left hand upon his tusk while I fed him
with the right. Every morning at daylight he was brought to the tent
with Demoiselle (the female elephant), and they both received from my
own hands the choice bits which gained their confidence.
My suspicions were first aroused by his peculiar behaviour upon an
occasion when we had killed two tigers; these were young animals, and
although large, there was no difficulty in arranging them upon the pad,
upon which they were secured by ropes, when the elephant kneeling down
was carefully loaded. Hardly had Bisgaum risen to his feet, when,
conscious of the character of the animals upon his back, and, I suppose,
not quite certain that life was actually extinct, he trumpeted a shrill
scream, and shook his immense carcase like a wet dog that has just
landed from the water. This effect was so violent that one tiger was
thrown some yards to the right, while the other fell to the ground on
the left, and without a moment's warning, the elephant charged the
lifeless body, sent it flying by a kick with his fore foot, and
immediately proceeded to dance a war-dance, kicking with his hind legs
to so great a height that he could have reached a tall man's hat. A
vigorous application of the driving-hook by the mahout, who was a
powerful man, at length changed the scene, and the elephant at once
desisted from his attack upon the dead tiger, and rushed madly upon one
side, where he stood nervously looking at the enemy as though he
expected it would show signs of life.
This did not look promising for an encounter with a live tiger, as it
would have been absolutely impossible to shoot from that elephant's
back.
A short time after this occurrence, when upon my usual reconnaissance
through the jungles in the neighbourhood of the camp, I came upon the
fresh tracks of a large tiger close to the banks of the Bearmi river,
and I gave the necessary instructions that a buffalo should be tied up
as a bait that same evening.
Early on the following morning the news was brought by the shikaris that
the buffalo had been killed, and dragged into a neighbouring ravine. As
the river was close by, there could be no doubt that the tiger would
have drunk water after feasting on the carcase, and would be lying
asleep somewhere in the immediate neighbourhood.
The mucharns (platforms in trees) had already been prepared in positions
where the tiger was expected to pass when driven, as he would make for
the forest-covered hills which rose within half a mile of the river.
The spot was within twenty minutes of the camp; the elephants were both
ready, with simple pads, as the howdah was ill-adapted for a forest; and
we quickly started.
Three mucharns had been prepared; these were about 100 yards apart in a
direct line which guarded a narrow glade between the jungle upon the
river's bank and the main body of the forest at the foot of a range of
red-sandstone hills; these were covered to the summit with trees already
leafless from the drought.
The mucharn which fell to my share was that upon the right flank when
facing the beat; this was in the open glade opposite a projecting corner
of the jungle. On the left, about 70 yards distant, was a narrow strip
of bush connected with the jungle, about 4 yards wide, which terminated
in a copse about 30 yards in diameter; beyond this was open glade for
about 40 yards width until it bounded the main forest at the foot of the
hill-range.
We took our places, and I was assured by the shikaris that the tiger
would probably break covert exactly in my front.
It is most uncomfortable for a European to remain squatted in a mucharn
for any length of time; the limbs become stiffened, and the cramped
position renders good shooting anything but certain. I have a simple
wooden turnstool, which enables me to shoot in any required direction;
this is most comfortable.
I had adjusted my stool upon a thick mat to prevent it from slipping,
and having settled myself firmly, I began to examine the position to
form an opinion concerning the most likely spot for the tiger to emerge
from the jungle.
The beat had commenced, and the shouts and yells, of a long line of 150
men were gradually becoming more distinct. Several peacocks ran across
the open glade: these birds are always the forerunners of other animals,
as they are the first to retreat.
Presently I heard a rustle in the jungle, and I observed the legs of a
sambur deer, which, having neared the edge, now halted to listen to the
beaters before venturing to break from the dense covert. The beaters
drew nearer, and a large doe sambur, instead of rushing quickly forward,
walked slowly into the open, and stood within 10 yards of me upon the
glade. She waited there for several minutes, and then, as if some
suspicion had suddenly crossed her mind, gave two or three convulsive
bounds and dashed back to the same covert from which she had approached.
It struck me that the sambur had got the wind of an enemy, otherwise she
would not have rushed back in such sudden haste; she could not have
scented me, as I was 10 or 12 feet above the ground, and the breeze was
aslant . . . . Then, if a tiger were in the jungle, why should she dash
back into the same covert ?
I was reflecting upon these subjects, and looking out sharp towards my
left and front, when I gently turned upon my stool to the right; there
was the tiger himself! who had already broken from the jungle about 75
yards from my position. He was slowly jogging along as though just
disturbed (possibly by the sambur), keeping close to the narrow belt of
bushes already described. There was a foot-path from the open glade
which pierced the belt; I therefore waited until he should cross this
favourable spot. I fired with the '577 rifle just as he was passing
across the dusty track. I saw the dust fly from the ground upon the
other side as the hardened bullet passed like lightning through his
flank, but I felt that I was a little too far behind his shoulder, as
his response to the shot was a bound at full gallop forwards into the
small clump of jungle that projected into the grassy open. My turnstool
was handy, and I quickly turned to the right, waiting with the left-hand
barrel ready for his reappearance upon the grass-land in the interval
between the main jungle and the narrow patch. There was no time to lose,
for the tiger appeared in a few seconds, dashing out of the jungle, and
flying over the open at tremendous speed. This was about 110 yards
distant; aiming about 18 inches in his front, I fired. A short but
spasmodic roar and a sudden convulsive twist of his body showed plainly
that he was well hit, but with unabated speed he gained the main forest
which was not more than 40 yards distant. If that had been a soft leaden
bullet he would have rolled over to the shot, but I had seen the dust
start from the ground when I fired, and I knew that the hard bullet had
passed through without delivering the shock required.
The beaters and shikaris now arrived, and having explained the incident,
we examined the ground for tracks, and quickly found the claw-marks
which were deeply indented in the parched surface of fine sward. We
followed these tracks cautiously into the jungle. Our party consisted of
Colonel Lugard, the Hon. D. Leigh, myself, and two experienced shikaris.
Tiger-shooting is always an engrossing sport, but the lively excitement
is increased when you follow a wounded tiger upon foot. We now slowly
advanced upon the track, which faintly showed the sharp claws where the
tiger had alighted in every bound. The jungle was fairly open, as the
surface was stony, and the trees for want of moisture in a rocky soil
had lost their leaves; we could thus see a considerable distance upon
all sides. In this manner we advanced about 100 yards without finding a
trace of blood, and I could see that some of my people doubted the fact
of the tiger being wounded. I felt certain that he was mortally hit, and
I explained to my men that the hard bullet would make so clean a hole
through his body that he would not bleed externally until his inside
should be nearly full of blood. Suddenly a man cried "koon" (blood),
and he held up a large dried leaf of the teak-tree upon which was a
considerable red splash: almost immediately after this we not only came
upon a continuous line of blood, but we halted at a place where the
animal had lain down; this was a pool of blood, proving that the tiger
would not be far distant.
I now sent for the elephants, as I would not permit the shikaris to
advance farther upon foot. The big tusker Bisgaum arrived, and giving my
Paradox gun to my trustworthy shikari Kerim Bux, he mounted the pad of
that excitable beast to carry out my orders, "to follow the blood until
he should find the tiger, after which he was to return to us." We were
now on the top of a small hill within an extensive forest range, and
directly in front the ground suddenly dipped, forming a V-shaped dell,
which in the wet season was the bed of a considerable torrent. It struck
me that if the tiger were still alive he would steal away along the
bottom of the rocky watercourse; therefore, before the elephant should
advance, and perhaps disturb him, we should take up a position on the
right to protect the nullah or torrent-bed; this plan was accordingly
carried out.
We had not been long in our respective positions when a shot from the
direction taken by the elephant, followed instantly by a short roar,
proved that the tiger had been discovered, and that he was still alive.
My female elephant Demoiselle, upon hearing the sound, trembled beneath
me with intense excitement, while the other female would have bolted had
she not been sharply reminded by the heavy driving-hook. Several shots
were now fired in succession, and after vainly endeavouring to discover
the whereabouts of the tiger, I sent Demoiselle to obtain the news while
we kept guard over the ravine. No tiger having appeared, I stationed
natives in trees to watch the nullah while we ascended the hill on foot,
directing our course through the forest to the place from whence the
shots had been fired. We had hardly advanced 80 yards before we found
both the elephants on the top of the steep shoulder of the hill, where
several of our men were upon the boughs of surrounding trees. Bisgaum
was in a state of wild excitement, and Kerim Bux explained that it was
impossible to shoot from his back, as he could not be kept quiet. Where
was the tiger? That was the question. "Close to us, Sahib!" was the
reply; but on foot we could see nothing, owing to high withered grass
and bush. I clambered upon the back of the refractory Bisgaum,
momentarily expecting him to bolt away like a locomotive engine, and
from that elevated position I was supposed to see the tiger, which was
lying in the bottom of the ravine about 100 yards distant. There were so
many small bushes and tufts of yellow grass that I could not distinguish
the form for some minutes; at length my eyes caught the object. I had
been looking for orange and black stripes, therefore I had not noticed
black and white, the belly being uppermost, as the animal was lying upon
its back, evidently dying.
The side of the rocky hill was so steep and slippery that the elephants
could not descend; I therefore changed my steed and mounted Demoiselle,
from the back of which I fired several shots at the tiger until life
appeared to be extinct. The ground was so unfavourable that I would not
permit any native to approach near enough to prove that the animal was
quite dead. I therefore instructed Bisgaum's mahout to make a detour to
the right until he could descend with his elephant into the flat bottom
of the watercourse, he was then to advance cautiously until near enough
to see whether the tiger breathed. At the same time I rode Demoiselle
carefully as near as we could safely descend among the rocks to a
distance of about 40 yards; it was so steep that the elephant was
impossible to turn. From this point of vantage I soon perceived
Bisgaum's bulky form advancing up the dry torrent-bed. The rocks were a
perfectly flat red sandstone, which in many places resembled artificial
pavement; this was throughout the district a peculiar geological
feature, the surface of the stone being covered with ripple-marks, and
upon this easy path Bisgaum now approached the body of the tiger, which
lay apparently dead exactly in his front.
Suddenly the elephant halted when about 15 yards from the object, which
had never moved. I have seen wild savages frenzied by the exciting
war-dance, but I never witnessed such an instance of hysterical fury as
that exhibited by Bisgaum. It is impossible to describe the elephantine
antics of this frantic animal; he kicked right and left with his hind
legs alternately, with the rapidity of a horse; trumpeting and
screaming, he threw his trunk in the air, twisting it about, and shaking
his immense head, until, having lashed himself into sufficient rage, he
made a desperate charge at the supposed defunct enemy, with the
intention of treating the body in a similar manner to that a few days
previous. But the tiger was not quite dead and although he could not
move to get away, he seized with teeth and claws the hind leg of the
maddened elephant, who had clumsily overrun him in the high excitement,
instead of kicking the body with a fore foot as he advanced.
The scene was now most interesting. We were close spectators looking
down upon the exhibition as though upon an arena. I never saw such fury
in an elephant; the air was full of stones and dust, as he kicked with
such force that the tiger for the moment was lost to view in the
tremendous struggle, and being kicked away from his hold, with one of
his long fangs broken short off to the gum, he lay helpless before his
huge antagonist, who, turning quickly round, drove his long tusks
between the tiger's shoulders, and crushed the last spark of life from
his tenacious adversary.
This was a grand scene, and I began to think there was some real pluck
in Bisgaum after all, although there was a total want of discipline; but
just as I felt inclined to applaud, the victorious elephant was seized
with a sudden panic, and turning tail, he rushed along the bottom of the
watercourse at the rate of 20 miles an hour, and disappeared in the
thorny jungle below at a desperate pace that threatened immediate
destruction to his staunch mahout. Leaving my men to arrange a litter
with poles and cross-bars to carry the tiger home, I followed the course
of Bisgaum upon Demoiselle, expecting every minute to see the body of
his mahout stretched upon the ground.
At length, after about half a mile passed in anxiety, we discovered
Bisgaum and his mahout both safe upon an open plain; the latter torn and
bleeding from countless scratches while rushing through the thorny
jungle.
On the following day the elephant's leg was much swollen, although the
wounds appeared to be very slight. It is probable that a portion of the
broken tooth remained in the flesh, as the leg festered, and became so
bad that the elephant could not travel for nearly a fortnight
afterwards. The mahouts are very obstinate, and insist upon native
medicines, their famous lotion being a decoction of Mhowa blossoms,
which in my opinion aggravated the inflammation of the wound.
I returned Bisgaum to the Commissariat stables at Jubbulpur directly
that he could march, as he was too uncontrollable for sporting purposes.
Had any person been upon his back during his stampede he would have been
swept off by the branches and killed; the mahout, sitting low upon his
neck, could accommodate his body to avoid the boughs.
The use of the elephant in India is so closely associated with
tiger-shooting that I shall commence the next chapter with the tiger.