After they had gone half a mile the two officers, carrying their fowling-pieces, turned off along a footpath through the undergrowth, leaving the servant and the elephant to continue down the road.  The track led steeply down the mountain-side, at first between high, closely-matted bushes, and then through scrub-jungle dotted with small trees, among the foliage of which gleamed the yellow fruit of the limes and the plantain’s glossy drooping leaves and long curving stalks from which the nimble fingers of wild monkeys had plucked the ripe bananas.  Here and there the ground was open; and the path following a natural depression in the hills gave down the gradually widening valley a view of the panorama of forest and plain lying below.

As they passed a clump of tangled bushes a rustle and a pattering over the dry leaves under them caught the Colonel’s ear.

“Look out! Kalej,” he whispered, picking up a stone and throwing it into the cover.  A large speckled black and white bird whirred out; and Wargrave brought it down.

“Good shot!  There’s another,” called out Dermot, and fired with equal success.  “We’re lucky,” he continued.  “As a rule they won’t break, but scuttle along under the bushes, so that one often has to shoot them running.”

Frank picked up the birds and examined them with interest before the Colonel stuffed them into his game bag and moved on down the path, which was growing steeper.  The trees became more numerous and larger as they descended nearer the forest.  Out of another clump of bushes the sportsmen succeeded in getting a second brace of pheasants.  Lower down they passed through a belt of bamboos, where in one spot the long feathery boughs were broken off or twisted in wild confusion for a space of fifty yards’ radius.

“Wild elephants,” said the Political Officer briefly and pointed to a patch of dust in which was the round imprint of a huge foot.

Frank was a little startled; for he felt that against these great animals the bullets in their guns would be useless.

“Are they dangerous, sir?” he asked.

“Not as a rule when they are in a herd, although cow-elephants with calves may be so, fearing peril for their young.  But sometimes a bull takes to a solitary life, becomes vicious and develops into a dangerous rogue.  It probably happens that, finding crops growing near a jungle village and raiding them, he is driven off by the cultivators, turns savage and kills some of them.  Then he usually seems to take a hatred to all human beings and attacks them on sight.  Hallo! here we are at the peelkhana at last.”

They had reached the high wooden building which housed the three transport elephants of the detachment.  In the clearing before it Badshah and another animal were standing, a group of mahouts and coolies near them.

“We’ll mount and start at once,” said Colonel Dermot, beckoning to his elephant, which came to him.  “Get up, Wargrave.”