But as the night drew to morning, the bulls began to see that the tide of the battle had turned.  Youth was conquering—­too mighty and agile to resist.  The rushes of the patriarch were ever weaker.  He still could inflict punishment, and the hides of both of them were terrible to see, but he was no longer able to take advantage of his openings.  Then Muztagh did a thing that reassured the old bulls as to his craft and wisdom.  Just as a pugilist will invite a blow to draw his opponent within range, Muztagh pretended to leave his great shoulder exposed.  The old bull failed to see the plot.  He bore down, and Muztagh was ready with flashing tusk.

What happened thereafter occurred too quickly for the eyes of the elephants to follow.  They saw the great bull go down and Muztagh stand lunging above him.  And the battle was over.

The great leader, seriously hurt, backed away into the shadowed jungle.  His trunk was lowered in token of defeat.  Then the ring was empty except for a great red-eyed elephant, whose hide was no longer white, standing blaring his triumph to the stars.

Three times the elephant salute crashed out into the jungle silence—­the full voiced salaam to a new king.  Muztagh had come into his birthright.

VII

The keddah was built at last.  It was a strong stockade, opening with great wings spreading out one hundred yards, and equipped with the great gate that lowered like a portcullis at the funnel end of the wings.  The herd had been surrounded by the drivers and beaters, and slowly they had been driven, for long days, toward the keddah mouth.  They had guns loaded with blank cartridges, and firebrands ready to light.  At a given signal they would close down quickly about the herd, and stampede it into the yawning mouth of the stockade.

No detail had been overlooked.  No expense had been spared.  The profit was assured in advance, not only from the matchless Muztagh, but from the herd as well.  The king of the jungle, free now as the winds or the waters, was about to go back to his chains.  These had been such days!  He had led the herd through the hills, and had known the rapture of living as never before.  It had been his work to clear the trail of all dangers for the herd.  It was his pride to find them the coolest watering-places, the greenest hills.  One night a tiger had tried to kill a calf that had wandered from its mother’s side.  Muztagh lifted his trunk high and charged down with great, driving strides—­four tons and over of majestic wrath.  The tiger leaped to meet him, but the elephant was ready.  He had met tigers before.  He avoided the terrible stroke of outstretched claws, and his tusks lashed to one side as the tiger was in midspring.  Then he lunged out, and the great knees descended slowly, as a hydraulic press descends on yellow apples.  And soon after that the kites were dropping out of the sky for a feast.