EXCITING ADVENTURE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1749, 13 September 1905, Page 50

EXCITING ADVENTURE.

[AN ELEPHANT’S ATTACK ON A C3OACH.

Some idea of the dangers attendant on travel in Ceylon may be gathered from the following letter contributed by Mr E. Weinman to the Ceylon “Observer,” under date August sth: When returning to Trincomalee from Colombo last Friday, I had a nasty experience with an elephant. All went well till the coach arrived at Kantalai at 11.30 in the night. I was up all the while, as I was informed at Alutoya that a huge leopard was daily seen prowling about on the road between Alutoya and Kantalai, and I therefore resolved to stop the coach and get down and shoot him. But he was not to be seen, and after passing Kantalai I gave up all hopes of shooting him and laid myself down to sleep. I was the. only passenger and the only other person in the coach was the driver, who was a hoy about 15 or 16 years. When we had gone about three miles from Kantalai, I was aroused from my sleep hv the boy crying out pitifully “Her-roll,” “Hoivrell.” It was about 12.30 then. There was no moon, but a bright, starry night. Looking ahead I saw a huge elephant in front of the coach which immediately came to a standstill, and before I could have even seated myself, the elephant turned the bullock coach over. I hit my head violently against one of the irons which support' the tent of the coach, while the boy was thrown off his seat. In a moment I jumped off, and retaining my presence of mind, seized my gun, when I saw the huge brute going for the boy. I cannot describe what I felt. Here was a human life going and I knew mine would be the next. Luckily my gun was loaded at the time with bullets, which I had put in in expectation of the leopard, and I instantly fired off the right barrel at the brute as he was only about three yards away from the boy. He staggered, wheeled to his left and entered the forest again. I thought we were all right now, but before I could speak to the boy, for hardly a minute elapsed, x heard the breaking of a huge branch, of a tree, and with a terrible rush the brute was making for tihe coach again. I knew the uselessness of endeavouring to escape. He would catch me up in a minute. I had to face him. Puling myself together therefore I retreated a few yards and let him have my right barrel again as he came forward. He immediately turned right round, when I promptly fired off the left barrel. He began to run along the road, but I was not going to have a repetition of tae previous charge. I knew he would return directly he revived from the shock. I ran behind him therefore, shouting with all my strength and letting him have another shot, and yet another as he tore into the forest again; and as he was going through the forest I fired off a couple more shots, and when everything was quiet again returned towards the coach. Here I found the boy hidden behind the coach. We quickly pulled the coach on to the road, got the bulls together, tied them as hurriedly as we could and drove off at a gallop, expecting every moment the brute might reappear, but he seems to have had enough for the night. The boy swears he will never drive that coach again.