The Rifle And The Hound In Ceylon(Fiscle Part-3), Sir Samuel White Baker [most inspirational books .txt] 📗

Animals,  They Keep Entirely Part 3 Chapter 6 Pg 44

Apart From The Cingalese. They Barter Deer-Horns And Bees'-Wax With The

Travelling Moormen Pedlers In Exchange For Their Trifling Requirements.

If They Have Food,  They Eat It; If They Have None,  They Go Without Until

By Some Chance They Procure It. In The Meantime They Chew The Bark Of

Various Trees,  And Search For Berries,  While They Wend Their Way For

Many Miles To Some Remembered Store Of Deer's Flesh And Honey,  Laid By

In A Hollow Tree.

 

The First Time That I Ever Saw A Veddah Was In The North Of The Country.

A Rogue Elephant Was Bathing In A Little Pool Of Deep Mud And Water Near

The Tank Of Monampitya,  About Six Miles From The 'Gunner's Coin.' This

Veddah Had Killed A Wild Pig,  And Was Smoking The Flesh Within A Few

Yards Of The Spot,  When He Suddenly Heard The Elephant Splashing In The

Water. My Tent Was Pitched Within A Mile Of The Place,  And He

Accordingly Brought Me The Intelligence.

 

Upon Arrival At The Pool I Found The Elephant So Deep In The Mud That He

Could Barely Move. His Hind-Quarters Were Towards Me; And The Pool Not

Being More Than Thirty Yards In Diameter,  And Surrounded By Impenetrable

Rattan Jungle On All Sides But One Small Opening,  In Which I Stood,  I

Was Obliged To Clap My Hands To Attract His Attention. This Had The

Desired Effect; He Turned Slowly Round,  And I Shot Him Immediately. This

Was One Of The Monampitya Tank Rogues,  But In His Muddy Position He Had

No Chance.

 

The Largest Elephant That I Have Ever Seen Was In This Neighbourhood. I

Had Arrived One Afternoon At About Five O'clock In A Fine Plain,  About

Twelve Miles From Monampitya,  Where The Presence Of A Beautiful Lake And

High Grass Promised An Abundance Of Game. It Was A Most Secluded Spot,

And My Tent And Coolies Being Well Up With My Horse,  I Fixed Upon A

Shady Nook For The Tent,  And I Strolled Out To Look For The Tracks While

It Was Being Pitched.

 

A Long Promontory Stretched Some Hundred Yards Into The Lake,  Exactly

Opposite The Spot I Had Fixed Upon For The Encampment,  And,  Knowing That

Elephants When Bathing Generally Land Upon The Nearest Shore,  I Walked

Out Towards The Point Of This Projecting Neck Of Land.

 

The Weather Was Very Dry,  And The Ground Was A Mass Of Little Pitfalls,

About Two Feet Deep,  Which Had Been Made By The Feet Of The Elephants In

The Wet Weather,  When This Spot Was Soft Mud And Evidently The Favourite

Resort Of The Heavy Game. The Ground Was Now Baked By The Sun As Hard As

Though It Were Frozen,  And The Numerous Deep Ruts Made Walking Very

Difficult. Several Large Trees And A Few Bushes Grew Upon The Surface,

But For The Most Part It Was Covered By A Short Though Luxuriant Grass.

One Large Tree Grew Within Fifty Yards Of The Extreme Point Of The

Promontory,  And Another Of The Same Kind Grew At An Equal Distance From

It,  But Nearer To The Main Land. Upon Both These Trees Was A Coat Of

Thick Mud Not Many Hours Old. The Bark Was Rubbed Completely Away,  And

This Appeared To Have Been Used For Years As A Favourite Rubbing-Post By

Some Immense Elephant. The Mud Reached Full Twelve Feet Up The Trunk Of

The Tree,  And There Were Old Marks Far Above This Which Had Been Scored

By His Tusks. There Was No Doubt That One Of These Tank Rogues Of

Extraordinary Size Had Frequented This Spot For Years,  And Still

Continued To Do So,  The Mud Upon The Tree Being Still Soft,  As Though It

Had Been Left There That Morning. I Already Coveted Him,  And Having My

Telescope With Me,  I Took A Minute Survey Of The Opposite Shore,  Which

Was About Half A Mile Distant And Was Lined With Fine Open Forest To The

Water's Edge. Nothing Was Visible. I Examined The Other Side Of The Lake

With The Same Want Of Success. Although It Was Such A Quiet Spot,  With

Beautiful Grass And Water,  There Was Not A Single Head Of Game To Be

Seen. Again I Scrutinised The Opposite Shore. The Glass Was No Sooner

Raised To My Eye Than I Started At The Unexpected Apparition. There Was

No Mistaking Him; He Had Appeared As

 

Though By Magic--An Elephant Of The Most Extraordinary Size That I Have

Ever Seen. He Was Not Still For An Instant,  But Was Stalking Quickly Up

And Down The Edge Of The Lake As Though In Great Agitation. This

Restlessness Is One Of The Chief Characteristics Of A Bad Rogue. I

Watched Him For A Few Minutes,  Until He At Length Took To The Water,  And

After Blowing Several Streams Over His Shoulders,  He Advanced To The

Middle Of The Tank,  Where He Commenced Feeding Upon The Lotus Leaves And

Sedges.

 

It Was A Calm Afternoon,  And Not A Breath Of Air Was Stirring; And

Fearing Lest The Noise Of The Coolies,  Who Were Arranging The

Encampment,  Should Disturb Him,  I Hastened Back. I Soon Restored Quiet,

And Ordering The Horses To Be Led Into The Jungle Lest He Should

Discover Them,  I Made The People Conceal Themselves; And Taking My Two

Moormen Gun-Bearers,  Who Were Trusty Fellows That I Had Frequently Shot

With,  I Crept Cautiously Back To My Former Position,  And Took My Station

Behind The Large Tree Farthest From The Point Which Commanded The

Favourite Rubbing-Post And Within Fifty Yards Of It. From This Place I

Attentively Watched His Movements. He Was Wandering About In The Water,

Alternately Feeding And Bathing,  And There Was A Peculiar Devilry In His

Movements That Marked Him As A Rogue Of The First Class. He At Length

Made Up His Mind To Cross The Tank,  And He Advanced At Quick Strides

Through The Water Straight For The Point Upon Which I Hoped To Meet Him.

 

This Was An Exciting Moment. I Had No Companion,  But Depended Upon My

Own Gun,  And The Rutty Nature Of The Ground Precluded Any Quick

Movements. The Watching Of The Game Is The Intense Excitement Of

Elephant-Shooting--A Feeling Which Only Lasts Until The Animal Is Within

Shot,  When It Suddenly Vanishes And Gives Place To Perfect Calmness. At

This Time I Could Distinctly Hear The Beating Of My Own Heart,  And My

Two Gun-Bearers,  Who Did Not Know What Fear Was,  Were Literally

Trembling With Excitement.

 

He Was Certainly A King Of Beasts,  And Proudly He Advanced Towards The

Point. Suddenly He Disappeared; Nothing Could Be Seen But His Trunk

Above The Water As He Waded Through The Deep Channel For A Few Yards,

And Then Reared His Majestic Form Dripping From The Lake. He Stood Upon

The `Point.' I Never Saw So Grand An Animal; It Seemed As Though No

Part 3 Chapter 6 Pg 45

Single Ball Could Kill Him,  And Although His Head And Carcass Were

Enormous,  Still His Length Of Leg Appeared Disproportionately Great.

With Quick,  Springy Paces He Advanced Directly For His Favourite Tree

And Began His Process Of Rubbing,  Perfectly Unaware Of The Hidden Foes

So Near Him.

 

Having Finished His Rubbing,  He Tore Up Several Bunches Of Grass,  But

Without Eating Them He Threw Them Pettishly Over His Back,  And Tossed

Some From Side To Side. I Was In Momentary Dread Lest A Horse Should

Neigh And Disturb Him,  As They Were Within 200 Paces Of Where He Stood.

Everything Was,  However,  Quiet In That Direction,  Where The Hiding

Coolies Were Watching The Impending Event With Breathless Interest.

 

Having Amused Himself For Some Moments By Kicking Up The Turf And Dirt

And Throwing The Sand Over His Back,  He Took It Into His Head To Visit

The Main Shore,  And For This Purpose He Strode Quickly In The Direction

Of The Encampment. I Moved Round The Tree To Secrete Myself As He

Advanced. He Was Soon Exactly At Right Angles With Me As He Was Passing

The Tree,  When He Suddenly Stopped: His Whole Demeanour Changed In An

Instant; His Ears Cocked,  His Eyes Gleamed,  His Tail On End And His

Trunk Raised High In The Air,  He Turned The Distended Tip Towards The

Tree From Behind Which I Was Watching Him. He Was Perfectly Motionless

And Silent In This Attitude For Some Moments. He Was Thirty Yards From

Me,  As I Supposed At The Time,  And I Reserved My Fire,  Having The

Four-Ounce Rifle Ready. Suddenly,  With His Trunk Still Raised,  His Long

Legs Swung Forward Towards Me. There Was No Time To Lose; I Was

Discovered,  And A Front Shot Would Be Useless With His Trunk In That

Position. Just As His Head Was In The Act Of Turning Towards Me I Took A

Steady Shot At His Temple. He Sank Gently Upon His Knees,  And Never

Afterwards Moved A Muscle! His Eyes Were Open,  And So Bright That I

Pushed My Finger In Them To Assure Myself That Life Was Perfectly

Extinct. He Was Exactly Thirty-Two Paces From The Rifle,  And The Ball

Had Passed In At One Temple And Out At The Other. His Height May Be

Imagined From This Rough Method Of Measuring. A Gun-Bearer Climbed Upon

His Back As The Elephant Lay Upon All-Fours,  And Holding A Long Stick

Across His Spine At Right Angles,  I Could Just Touch It With The Points

Of My Fingers By Reaching To My Utmost Height. Thus,  As He Lay,  His Back

Was Seven Feet Two Inches,  Perpendicular Height,  From The Ground. This

Would Make His Height When Erect About Twelve Feet On The Spine-An

Enormous Height For An Elephant,  As Twelve Feet On The Top Of The Back

Is About Equal To Eleven Feet Six Inches At The Shoulder. If I Had Not

Fortunately Killed This Elephant At The First Shot,  I Should Have Had

Enough To Do To Take Care Of Myself,  As He Was One Of The Most

Vicious-Looking Brutes That I Ever Saw,  And He Was In The Very Act Of

Charging When I Shot Him.

 

With These Elephants The Four-Ounce Rifle Is An Invaluable Weapon; Even

If The Animal Is Not Struck In The Mortal Spot,  The Force Of The Blow

Upon The Head Is So Great That It Will Generally Bring Him Upon His

Knees,  Or At Least Stop Him. It Has Failed Once Or Twice In This,  But

Not Often; And Upon Those Occasions I Had Loaded With The Conical Ball.

This,  Although It Will Penetrate Much Farther Through A Thick Substance

Than A Round Ball,  Is Not So Effective In Elephant-Shooting As The

Latter. The Reason Is Plain Enough. No Shot In The Head Will Kill An

Elephant Dead Unless It Passes Through The Brain; An Ounce Ball Will

Effect This As Well As A Six-Pound Shot; But There Are Many Cases Where

The Brain Cannot Be Touched,  By A Peculiar Method Of Carrying The Head

And Trunk In Charging,  Etc.; A Power Is Then Required That By The

Concussion Will Knock Him Down,  Or Turn Him; This Power Is Greater In

The Round Ball Than In The Conical,  As A Larger Surface Is Suddenly

Struck. The Effect Is Similar To A Man Being Run Through The Arm With A

Rapier Or Thrust At With A Poker--The Rapier Will Pass Through