ELEPHANT HUNTING.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3154, 10 September 1892, Page 5 (Supplement)

ELEPHANT HUNTING.

The guiding-line of the beaters has to keep well away to be very careful to leave no opening in the chain. We chould now and then get a glimpse of the giants of the forest as they were moving on led by an enormously large female—the largest I have ever seen—through the thick foliago, with sheets of sunshine every now and then playing upon them, and intensifying the general surrounding darkness. At last the men got them near the gate of the outer enclosure; but again they were startled by something, and began, with loud and frightened trumpetings, to move in a side direction. Finally, however, they neared the gate, which, as well as the stockade, was well hidden by bamboo branches, the inside also being one dense mass of that plant, as any bare patches had been filled by sticking them into the ground ; so we could only now and then get a glimpse of their backs or trunks as they raised them to break off some obstructing branch in their forward progress. Mr Sanderson was übiquitous, and at last, after many anxious moments, they passed the gate, which closed behind them with a bang, and the herd was in safe keeping in the outer enclosure. One would fancy that now all would go smoothly and serenely, but the more difficult work here began of driving them into a small enclosure. As they were in a comparatively small space they grew more suspicious and alarmed, and were ready to look upon everything in their way as dangerous to them and to be avoided. The beaters were now collected, and Mr Sanderson ented the outer enclosure with them to begin driving the herd into the inuer one. This outer enclosure was about half a milo in diametoi: and from this, which was also covered with very thiok jungle they had to be driven into the eastern corner, where the barrier to the inner enclosure was erected

Again a line was formed, and another shot gave the signal when the elephants began too, to move, and in the right direction. We could

see all now very plainly from our platform as the drive progressed. Every now and th«n the elephants would make a stand, when, with trunks uplifted high in tho air, they would huddle together, not knowing in what direction to move. Their trumpetings and shrieks when one of them would turn to charge a beater were now very froquent, and they were getting very angry and ill-tempered. However, they were pushed gently forward, and by degrees wero nearing the inner trap It has happened that oue of the herd, by making use of a cotnrndo who had tumbled into a ditch, has broken through the stockade, and so gained freedom again. So all round this were many men stationed with guns, mostly old matchlocks to fire with a blank chai'ge in their faces in case of a rush. They seemed to fight very shy of the gate and always, when nearing it, made off again, but were as pertinaciously driven back to it again in a circle. At last, after many futile attempts to get them in, they faced the barrier, and, with wild trumpetings, they tore through in one dense mob. The Maharajah immediately cut the rope, and with a terrible crash the ponderous gate descended. They at once perceived the trap, and tried a backward rush, and though the gate weighed a couple of tons, the combined force of the herd would naturally have most easily smashed it, but a blank charge from Mr Sanderson's fourbore turned them, and a herd of thirty-six elephants was added to the many captured by this great sportsman.—Harper's Magazine.