Chapter XIX: Carried Northward

"Isn't that a piece of luck?" asked the delighted Harkins.

This question was caused by the sound of an elephant trumpeting in the road behind them. The noise was not loud, and when they turned their heads they saw the animal only a short distance away.

The howdah on his back showed that he was not a wild beast, so the fugitives had nothing to fear from his warning. The young men drew to one side of the highway to learn what their chances of securing the animal were.

They were disappointed. A number of natives were in the howdah, and several horses were riding beside the elephant. It would never do to attack the party, which moved so fast that it was soon out of sight in the dust ahead, the fugitives loitering so as to give their guide an opportunity of rejoining them. The ladies began to feel uneasy over his long absence.

As was natural, the native party closely scrutinized the fugitives, but no communication passed between them. If the natives knew of the massacre in Delhi, they may not have noticed that all of the little party were Europeans, since, as will be remembered, most of them were dressed in native costume.

A short distance further one of the numerous bungalows established by the East India Company for the accommodation of travelers was reached. The building was small, thatched, and open. No servant was seen near it, but the party decided to wait there until Luchman should reappear.

The fugitives passed into the bungalow or station, where they sat down to rest and await the coming of their guide.

"Let's follow that elephant party," said Harkins. "I am hopeful we may find a chance to get the elephant."

The doctor liked the proposal, and, telling his friends to await their return without misgiving, the two young men started up the road at a rapid walk. They kept the gait until covered with perspiration and pretty tired.

"It won't do to get too far away from the rest," said the doctor; "our party is pretty well broken up."

"We are approaching a village," replied Harkins, "and there at the side of the road is the house, I suppose, of the village headman."

The building which he was so quick to recognize stood some distance from the road, and was identified by the lights that twinkled through the surrounding trees, rather than by any view gained of the dwelling itself.

But the hearts of the two gave a flutter of delight when they came upon the very elephant for which they were looking. He was standing at the roadside, beneath a large tree, from which he was eating. He drew down the limbs, or rather stripped off the tender leaves and twigs, and stowed them in his capacious maw.

So far as our friends could see, no one was looking after the animal, which was so well trained that he needed no care. Even the horsemen seemed to have ridden up the shaded passage leading to the dwelling among the trees.

It looked as if some wealthy native had called upon a neighbor (possibly to plan an expedition to Delhi), and had left his royal steed by the roadside until he should return.

Avery and Harkins were delighted. They thought Providence was on their side, although He is never on the side of those who wish to despoil others of their property.

"Do you know much about elephants, doctor?" asked the sportsman.

"Something," he answered, as they cautiously approached the huge beast; "you know I have lived a number of years in this country, where they are numerous."

"How are we going to manage this fellow?"

"There need be no trouble; they carry the mahout or driver astride the neck, where he guides the animal by word or gesture, or he may stay in the howdah and direct him from that point."

"I don't believe this elephant understands our language, which is another way of saying that we don't understand his. I say, doctor, do you feel any compunctions about confiscating this pet?"

"Not the slightest: do you?"

"I did at first, until I made up my mind that we would simply borrow him. We'll keep him for a few months or years, that is, as long as he is of any use to us, and then send him back to his owner with our compliments and thanks. But how are we going to get up in that meeting house on top?"

"The same way as his owner does; we must use the ladder, which they let down, or get the elephant to lift us up with his trunk."

"There's too much risk in allowing him to twist that extra tail around us. More than likely he would fling us into the top of the tree or over into the house yonder, where his owner is smoking his hookah."

The two passed around the beast several times, and carefully inspected him. The intelligent animal looked curiously at them in turn, but seemed to decide that they amounted to little, for he resumed his browsing among the limbs of the tree.

Neither of the young men could find the ladder for which they were looking, but Avery discovered a rope dangling from one corner of the saddle. With the aid of this, he climbed the side of the bulky body, as nimbly as a sailor could have gone up the rigging of his ship. Then, turning about, he helped Harkins up beside him, and the two took their place in the howdah.

The first sensation was as if they were perched upon a load of hay. Finding that the beast paid no attention to them, Harkins crept cautiously out on the soggy neck and asked the elephant to be kind enough to move on. The association of circumstances may have told the animal what was wanted, since he must have known that when two persons seated themselves in the saddle, they expected him to do his duty.

To the delight of the riders, he ceased eating and moved from under the tree, nearly scraping off the saddle against the limbs. Then he started up the road with his heavy, swaying gait, which is much more rapid than it seems to be.

This would have been well enough, but for the fact that the elephant was going in the wrong direction, that is, instead of turning back toward the bungalow, he was traveling straight from it.

The riders appealed to him to come about. Harkins crept out beside the doctor and the two used every gesticulation and command that they could call to mind. The doctor even tried some broken Hindustani; but the elephant accepted them all as incentives to greater speed, and away he went up the highway at a rate that threatened the permanent disintegration of the little band of fugitives, whose members were already scattered to a dangerous degree in the enemy's county.