the fifth shot that he fell to rise no more. The poor mutilated elephant lived about two hours, and died in endeavouring to rise. I should at once have put it out of its misery, had the mahout not assured me, that if he could be got to the tents he should be able to recover it. From this account, it will be seen that the rhinoceros is armed with much more formidable tusks than the boar. These are the weapons he brings into such deadly operation, and not the horn, as many persons are led to believe.

Upon the day following this last event, whether out of revenge, or from an anxious desire to stand well with their sovereign, the two chiefs courageously proposed that we should go. at once to destroy the Shirkar Bassa, or famous wild elephant. They both promised faithfully to support me, vowing to stand by, even to their toe nails (a favourite Indian expression), alledging that their honour was at stake, and without some such finale, they dare not shew their faces at Court again. I much doubted all these protestations, but thinking they might

possibly be seriously anxious to retrieve the disgrace which fell upon them in the rhinoceros affair, I felt disposed to place confidence in them and agreed to their proposal. They then informed me, they had been favoured with a private and confidential communication from their deity, "Goruck," who had signified his gracious intention of supporting us, and would even condescend to protect an unbelieving Feringee upon such an occasion. I thanked them for Goruck's very kind intentions, but inwardly trusted with much greater confidence to a good ounce of lead well planted.

The morning dawned splendidly; we were all in excellent spirits, and the two chiefs, in appearance at least, were as brave as lions. While we were examining our guns and carefully arranging our ammunition, the savage Shikar Bassa elephant was marked down, having been discovered in his usual retreat. In order if possible to render the deity Goruck more wrathful, he had only the day before destroyed a Brahmin for firing a matchlock ball into his

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elephant's side; the Brahmin having been provoked to do so, by the elephant destroying and eating up two fields of rice for his own private amusement. I saw the poor priest's mangled remains close to his hut; not a vestige of humanity remained, so frightfully had the brute trampled on and kneaded his body that not a bone escaped uncrushed; legs, arms, and carcass, could only be compared to some disgusting, indescribable mass, well pounded and furnished with a skin covering. This exhibition excited my anger, and I vowed the destruction of the destroyer.

Of the birth and parentage of this famous outlawed wild elephant, for so many years the dread and terror of all the Nepaul elephant catchers, I know little, but if a tenth part of the accusations bestowed by the Nepaulese upon his ancestors be true, he must have been a very low caste fellow, a compound of flatulent fowls and home fed pigs. However, it is certain he was a most powerful well grown beast, beautifully formed, head well set on and erect; and

would have been altogether an invaluable animal, could he have been persuaded to present himself at Court, and conduct himself properly. But he disdained such honours; he chose to remain lord paramount of the forest, and defied all comers to dispute it with him. He was supposed by the best judges to have been fifty years old, though triple that age in iniquity, and having set two generations of Nepaulese at defiance, indulged himself in the recreation of destroying any one who was fool enough to venture within his beat. Upon our arrival at a small deserted village within three miles of the monster's head quarters, our camp having been pitched, I was visited by the two Sirdars, accompanied by several villagers, who furnished me with most terrific accounts of his ferocity, and finding I was not easily alarmed, they evidently became so on my account, and endeavoured by every possible argument to dissuade me from the encounter. I observed that their arguments were useless; after coming so far to see the monster, I should not think of return

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ing until I had made his acquaintance. I then appealed to them as chiefs and sportsmen, inhabitants of a nation notorious for its bravery, whether it would not be considered most disgraceful cowardice to retire now, without even firing a shot? This appeal had the desired effect, and they then agreed, saying, "we can but die once, and if our respective time for doing so has arrived, we had better submit to it with honour." I gave them to understand that I did not at all approve of the dying part of their address, as I had no great personal aversion to life; but on the contrary, I felt confident, that well armed as we were, and supporting one another, we might, and ought to, conquer the monster. They then tried a pathetic allusion to their wives and families, to which I rejoined, that I had no such incumbrances, and should matters come to the worst, a few yards of black crape would be no very heavy tax to a brace of anxious brothers in England. Finding further persuasions of no avail, they requested I would write a few lines.