第21章

We cautiously entered.It was one mass of thorns, and we were shortly compelled to crawl upon our hands and knees.This was arduous work, as we had great difficulty in carrying the guns so as to avoid the slightest noise.I was leading the way, and could distinctly hear the rustling of the leaves as the elephants moved their ears.We were now within a few feet of them, but not an inch of their bodies could be seen, so effectually were they hidden by the thick jungle.Suddenly we heard the prolonged wh-r-r, wh-r-r-r-r-r, as one of the elephants winded us: the shrill trumpet sounded in another direction, and the crash through the jungle took place which nothing but an elephant can produce.

In such dense jungle, where the elephants are invisible, this crash is most exciting if close at hand, as in the present instance.

It is at the first burst impossible to tell whether the elephant is coming at you or rushing away.In either case it is extremely dangerous, as these chena jungles are almost devoid of trees; thus there is no cover of sufficient strength to protect a man should he attempt to jump on one side, and he may even be run over by accident.

A few moments assured us of their retreat, and we instantly followed upon their track, running at full speed along the lane which they had crushed in their headlong flight.This was no easy matter; the jungle itself was certainly broken down, but innumerable hooked thorns, hanging from rope-like creepers, which had been torn down by the rush of the elephants, caught us upon every side.In a few minutes our clothes were in rags, and we were bleeding from countless scratches, but we continued the chase as fast as we could run upon the track.The prickly cactus which abounds in these jungles, and grows to the height of twenty feet, in some places checked us for a few moments, being crushed into a heap by the horny-footed beasts before us.These obstacles overcome, we again pushed on at a rapid pace, occasionally listening for a sound of the retreating game.

We now observed that the herd had separated; the bull had gone off in one direction, and the female with her half-grown poonchy in another.

Following the latter, we again pushed on at a quick run, as the elephants had evidently gone off at a great pace and were far in advance.For about half an hour we had continued the pursuit at the same speed, when we suddenly heard the warning wh-r-r-r-r as the elephants winded us at a distance of 200 yards, and the crash instantly following this sound told us too plainly that the game was fearfully on the alert, and gave us little hopes of overtaking them, as they were travelling directly down wind.

Speed was our only chance, and again we rushed forward in hot pursuit through the tangled briars, which yielded to our weight, although we were almost stripped of clothes.Another half hour passed, and we had heard no further signs of the game.We stopped to breathe, and we listened attentively for the slightest sound.A sudden crash in the jungle at a great distance assured us that we were once more discovered.

The chase seemed hopeless; the heat was most oppressive; and we had been running for the last hour at a killing pace through a most distressing country.Once more, however, we started off, determined to keep up the pursuit as long as daylight would permit.It was now 5 P.M., and we had one hour left before darkness would set in.The wind had entirely ceased, leaving a perfect calm; the air was thick and heavy, and the heat was thus rendered doubly fatiguing.We noticed, however, that the track of the elephants had doubled back instead of continuing in the direct line that we had followed so long.This gave us hope, as the elephants no longer had the advantage of the wind, and we pushed on as fast as we could go.

It was about half an hour before dusk, and our patience and hopes were alike exhausted, when we suddenly once more heard the wh-r-r-r of the elephants winding us within a hundred yards.It was our last chance, and with redoubled speed we rushed after them.

Suddenly we broke from the high jungle in which we had been for the last two hours, and found ourselves in a chena jungle of two years' growth, about five feet high, but so thick and thorny that it resembled one vast blackthorn hedge, through which no man could move except in the track of the retreating elephants.