The Memoirs of Admiral Lord BeresfordBeresford, Charles William De la Poer Beresford, Baron
History
The Memoirs of Admiral Lord Beresford
Beresford, Charles William De la Poer Beresford, Baron
Admirals -- Great Britain -- Biography; Great Britain -- History, Naval -- 19th century
It was the business of the horsemen in front to keep him employed in
the open while the champion fighting elephants, Jung Pershaud and Bijli
Pershaud, were being brought up. Again and again he charged, the
riders eluding his rushes, the Prince among them. A stumble or a
fall--and nothing could have saved the rider. Presently the elephant,
wearying of these profitless tactics, wheeled and took refuge in a
swamp, where the reeds and rushes hid him. But there was nothing to do
but await the arrival of the fighting elephants. The fugitive employed
his respite in cooling himself by pouring water over his heated person.
In the meantime, Jung Pershaud, the terrible rogue elephant, somewhat
fatigued like his quarry, was drawing near. Jung Pershaud, in order to
give warning of his very dangerous presence, was hung about the neck
with a large bell, like a railway-station bell. When he was not in
action he was secured with ropes.
Presently, from out the jungle, there sounded the uneven, minatory
clangour of the bell. Everyone shouted that Jung Pershaud was coming.
The hunted elephant paused in his ablutions, turned about, and, pushing
the foliage aside with {166} his trunk, gazed in the direction of the
warning note. Then emerged into view the vast head of Jung Pershaud,
painted scarlet. He moved steadily and directly upon his quarry, who
lowered his head, presenting his long sharp tusk. The tusks of Jung
Pershaud were four to five feet long and ringed with brass.
Jung swung his trunk and dealt the hunted elephant a blow on the head,
then charged him in the flank with a resounding impact, drew back and
charged the reeling beast from behind. The hunted elephant took to
flight, pursued by Jung Pershaud, heading straight for the place where
I was watching the combat among the pads and smaller fighting
elephants. These turned and fled in terror.
The hunted elephant plunged into the wood, ploughing his way through
the undergrowth, leaving Jung Pershaud behind him. Sir Jung Bahadur,
following with the Prince and the rest of the party, adjured us to keep
out of the way of the fleeing beast while keeping him in sight. The
quarry checked at an opening in the forest and remained in the shelter
of the trees, while the Prince, with Sir Jung Bahadur and Dr. Russell,
rode across a stream into the open space. Sir Jung Bahadur sat on his
horse and cursed the elephant; who, after hearkening attentively for a
few minutes, suddenly charged the horsemen.
At the same instant, the second fighting elephant, Bijli Pershaud,
burst out of the jungle, and the two animals met forehead to forehead
with a crash. Bijli Pershaud drew off and charged again, striking the
hunted elephant on the shoulder, and running beside him, charged him
heavily again and again, until the poor driven beast dropped his trunk
and uttered a pitiable cry. He was beaten at last.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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