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Elephant & Seladang Hunting

in the

Federated Malay States

Elephant & Seladang Hunting

in the

Federated Malay States

THEODORE R. HUBBACK

LONDON
ROWLAND WARD, Limited

"THE JUNGLE," i66 PICCADILLY, W.

1905

PREFACE

The Malay Peninsula is a portion of Asia little
known to the general pijblic, although it is the
greatest tin-producing country in the world.
Except to the resident Europeans in the Straits
Settlements and Federated Malay States and a
very few others, it is entirely unknown as a big-
\ game hunter's country. As such I do not wish

to describe it, since it is not a country which
a stranger can enter and go on an organised
hunting trip. In fact, it is extremely difficult
for those not conversant with the Malay tongue
to obtain any hunting at all ; although for those
who live in the country and can occasionally
leave their regular duties for a few days' recrea-
tion, there is within reasonable reach big-game
hunting which for genuine sport will hold its
own with any in the world. The bags are

vi Elephant and Seladang Hunting

never big, the game is never plentiful, but the
haunts of the elephant and the seladang take the
sportsman into country where the hunting is
superb, and a good trophy a prize well within
reach.

Elephants are to be found in a wild state all
over the Malay States, seladang not so generally ;
but since my own hunting has been done chiefly
in the Selangor and Negri Sembilan States, my
remarks concerning the habits and peculiarities
of these animals are principally based on my
experiences in those two southern states.

The big game of the Malay Peninsula com-
prises elephant, seladang, rhinoceros, tiger, and
tapir ; but I intend to confine myself to the
description of the hunting of the two former
animals, since of tiger -hunting there is but
little, while rhino are now scarce except in
most inaccessible places, and tapir, although
plentiful, afford no trophies for the big-game
hunter.

The seladang and the gaur belong undoubtedly
to the same species, which is generally known

/ »

Preface vii

as the Indian bison, although this is a misnomer,

as the gaur or seladang, among other distinctive

features, has only thirteen pairs of ribs, whereas

the true bisons have fourteen.

Sanderson, in his excellent book, Thirteen Tears

among the Wild Beasts of India^ states that these

two species of game afford the finest sport for

the rifle in the world ; and if my account of

hunting the elephant and the seladang in the

Malay Peninsula will help the reader to while

away an idle hour, my reward will be sufficient

from the fact that his attention has been directed

to a most interesting, although little known,

corner of the East.

T. R, H.

CONTENTS

PART I

THE GAME OF THE COUNTRY

CHAPTER I

PACK

A NARROW Escape from an Elephant . . 3

CHAPTER II

The Malay as a Sportsman .... 20

CHAPTER III

The Seladang and Elephant of the Feder-
ated Malay States ..... 43

PART II

A TWO MONTHS* SHOOTING TRIP IN THE
NEGRI SEMBILAN AND PAHANG

CHAPTER I

From Singapore to Pertang, in the Negri

Sembilan 81

X Elephant and Seladang Hunting

CHAPTER II

PAGE

From Pertang to Plangai, on the Pahang

Border ........ 98

CHAPTER III

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang . -133

CHAPTER IV

At Pasir Kondang — I wound a big Tusker 157

CHAPTER V

From Patah Gading to Chememoy — still

FOLLOWING THE WOUNDED TuSKER . . l8o

CHAPTER VI

I RETURN TO PaSIR KoNDANG WITH TWO PaIRS

OF TuSKS INSTEAD OF ONE . . . 205

CHAPTER VII

To KrYONG 1 AGAIN INCREASE MY BaG, ALTHOUGH

NOT TO THE EXTENT I SHOULD HAVE DONE

I REACH THE PaHANG RiVER .... 224

CHAPTER VIII
From Kuala Triang to Kampong Sereting . 252

Contents xi

CHAPTER IX

PACK

A GOOD Finish — Back to Singapore en route

FOR England and Home .... 268

CHAPTER X

Camps, Transport, etc 281

ILLUSTRATIONS

A dead Elephant ......

A Sakai Trap for Monkeys or Squirrels

A Sakai from Klang ......

Two Sakai Youths at a Pertangkap .

The Author and dead Seladang shot by himself at Ulu
Serdai, in the Negri Sembilan

Dusun Tua (the old Orchard) ....

Sungei Dua on the Triang River

The Triang River during the dry weather .

The Sesap Jemilan ......

The Triang River, near Sungei Dua .

Two Sakai Youths with Trap for Small Game .

Sakais Fishing .......

A typical Group of Sakais ...

A Bungalow in Malaya .....

A Malay River Scene .....

Buffaloes grazing in a Clearing ....

Mr. J. T. Macgregor's big Bull Seladang .

PAGE

106

III

122

135
14.6

»59
178

181

257
273

Xlll

PART I

THE GAME OF THE COUNTRY

CHAPTER I

A NARROW ESCAPE FROM AN ELEPHANT

Although it is by no means uncommon to hear
persons ignorant of big-game hunting deprecate
the shooting of elephants, asserting that one of
these animals is a mark which nobody can pos-
sibly miss, and that the beast itself is so slow and
ponderous that it cannot afford much sport to
the hunter, the acquaintance of such persons
with elephants has generally commenced and
ended at the "Zoo," and they can accordingly
scarcely be blamed for their mistaken estimation
of the nature of the sport furnished by these
huge animals. In confirmation of what I assert,
let us take, for instance, some of the opinions of
two such great hunters as Sir Samuel Baker and
Mr. Sanderson, who state, in their writings, that
an elephant is the most dangerous and formidable
game sportsmen can be asked to encounter —
provided, that is to say, the pursuit is followed

4 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

up to its full extent. An elephant may be
encountered and killed by a single shot in the
brain and cause the hunter no trouble at all, or
he may be met and wounded, and, if followed up
to the bitter end, may cause the pursuer more
trouble in a few minutes than many a man goes
through in ten years.

Although not wishing to state that such has
actually been my lot, I think that the following
instance of how a rogue elephant nearly did for
me, had it happened to one of the deprecators,
would have been quite enough to dispel his
illusions as to the tameness of elephant hunting.

During the first half of the year 1898 I was
living in a small town called Klang, in the State
of Selangor, from which my work took me up
and down the coast, and at many of the villages
visited I frequently heard news of elephants,
which in those districts were fairly plentiful,
and caused much damage to the native crops.
I thereby soon acquired a taste for elephant
shooting, and, as so often happens, was at first
exceptionally successful.

When going my rounds I had often been told
of a large herd of elephants which frequented
an island in the Kuala Langat district. How
the elephants reached the island is easily ex-

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 5

plained, since the latter was constructed by
cutting a canal through a small isthmus dividing
the Langat River from an arm of the sea some
fifteen miles from its mouth, a canal which
afterwards became the main outlet of the river.
This island consists principally of swamp, in
which grow quantities of coarse grass and
succulent rattans, food of which elephants are
particularly fond. It is, however, a terrible
place in which to hunt, since the greater part is
almost impenetrable, except where the elephants
have cleared wide paths through the long, coarse
grass. The herd in those days must have
numbered over thirty animals, amongst which
were two or three big tuskers. At the east end
was a smaller island, divided from the main one
by a short canal constructed where two bends of
the Langat River come within a quarter of a
mile of each other, and on this a solitary
elephant generally resided, and, according to
the Malays in the district, was frequently to be
seen on, the banks of the river. This elephant
was reported to have attacked a boat on one
occasion, crashing down the river-bank with
that short, impetuous rush peculiar to elephants ;
but the occupants, who were paddling up stream
close alongside the bank, in order to avail them-

6 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

selves of the little tide, that happened to be just
on the turn, quickly put their craft beyond the
reach of the enraged beast by a few strokes of
their paddles, I was particularly anxious to go
after this old elephant, and had arranged with
the Malays, who lived at a village called Telok
Penglima Garang, on the Langat River, to let
me know, at any time, when he was about.
Towards the end of May, when visiting this
village, I heard tidings of a couple of elephants
which had done considerable damage at a
kampong^ on the Langat River, called Telok
Prian ; and as I heard no news of the rogue on
the island, and it was necessary that I should go
in the direction of Telok Prian, I decided to
spend a day in search of the pair. Accordingly, I
followed up these elephants, both of which were,
I believe, tuskers, the whole of one Saturday ;
but although I approached close to them several
times, I was unable to get the opportunity of a
shot. Returning to Telok Penglima Garang
late on Saturday night, very tired, after a long
walk of over twenty-five miles with no result, I
found a Malay waiting at the Rest House, where
I was stopping, who told me that he had been
on the island that morning and had seen tracks

^ A kampong is the Malay word for a small village.

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 7

of the solitary elephant close to the top end —
that is, the end near where I was stopping.

The island, known as Keluang, is small
only in comparison with the main island (which
contains at least 50,000 acres of land), being
about three miles square, and as the vegetation
consisted mostly of elephant -grass, rank ferns,
rattan, and every conceivable sort of thorn, it
' was a place where an elephant had everything in
its favour, and consequently took a great deal ot.
stalking. The fact that it takes a surveyor all
he can do to cut half a mile of straight line
during a full day's work, merely clearing away
the jungle for a width of a few feet, and employ-
ing a gang of at least ten coolies, will afford an
adequate conception of the difficulties of hunting
in such a place.

Early, then, on Sunday morning, the 22nd of
May, I left Telok Penglima Garang, and after
walking three and a half miles along the cart-road
which runs between Klang and Jugra, the capital
of Kuala Langat, took a boat across the river to
the spot on the island where the fresh tracks of
the rogue elephant were reported to have been
seen. Almost immediately we found tracks some
twenty-four hours old, and followed them up
at once. As they were those of a big bull, my

8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

heart beat faster at the sight, and at the anticipa-
tion of an encounter with this famous monster,
which had wended its way along the banks of
the river for some distance, feeding a good deal
as it went. Eventually the tracks took us
towards the centre of the island, where we
followed them about for nearly three hours
through elephant-grass from seven to eight feet
high, in which it was impossible to see two feet
in any direction except that in which the
elephant had gone. At last the tracks returned
towards the river-bank, and as they had crossed
and recrossed a good deal in the long grass, we
had been able to cut off a good many corners,
and were now fairly close to our quarry.
Presently we came to a spot where the elephant
had been bathing, and as the mud where he had
stamped about was still wet, and the water in
which he had rolled still muddy, we knew that
we were getting close to our game. We were,
however, even closer than we thought, and the
sharp crack of a branch, only a few yards ahead
in the thick tangled jungle, gave us a clue to the
position of the elephant. The moment now
approached in which the sportsman requires all
his nerve and all his self-control, as a hurried
shot may spoil everything, and the first chance

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 9

missed, a second to make up for it is but seldom
afforded. Although the perspiration may run
into his eyes, while the throbbing heart asserts
itself when least wanted, the shot has to be
taken, and the rifle held straight, or else the
sportsman had better remain at home and leave
elephant shooting to others.

Unfortunately this elephant was in a patch of
thick rattan, and although I quickly got within
fifteen yards, I could neither see him nor approach
any closer, owing to the terribly thick jungle
in front ; but he was fairly obliging on this
occasion, and pushed his way very slowly
through the rattan towards me. When within
about ten yards I could just make out the outline
of the top of his head, but could see no clear
spot at which to shoot. Suddenly I felt a pufF
of wind on the back of my neck, and knew that
in an instant the beast must get my scent, so
being able to see a portion of a yellow tusk
gleaming through the jungle, I calculated the
position of the prominence at the base of the
trunk, and aiming for this, fired ; but I am now
inclined to believe that his head was not quite
square on to me, so that a bullet placed where I
aimed — and I was too close to miss the mark at
which I fired — would have passed to one side of

lo Elephant and Seladang Hunting

the brain. Be this as it may, I was so hemmed
in that I could not retreat from the spot whence
I fired — much as I should have liked to have
done so — and accordingly squatted down and
looked under the smoke. I had been using a
ten-bore rifle carrying a conical bullet and burning
seven drams of powder, and as clouds of smoke
hung about in the damp atmosphere, the only
way to see what the elephant was doing was to
look along the ground. By this means I saw
the huge beast first sway and nearly fall over,
but an instant after steady himself, and, before I
could even utilise my second barrel, swing round
with surprising rapidity, and uttering a shrill
trumpet rush off into the thick tangle of rattan.
I know of no feeling more akin to the depths of
despair than that experienced by the sportsman
who after successfully approaching a big elephant,
probably after hours of fatiguing stalking, has
delivered his shot with good efl^ect and yet failed
to bag his game.

Nearly all sportsmen prefer to shoot an
Asiatic elephant in the head, the position of the
heart being somewhat difficult to determine ; and,
since most shots are taken at very close quarters,
a single bullet in the brain, which is of course
instantly fatal, is a far more business-like way of

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 1 1

slaying one's quarry than by a shot in the body,
which may often take hours before it proves fatal.
On the other hand, since an elephant has no easily
accessible and very large blood-vessels in the head,
a shot that inisses the vital centre does him but
little harm. It is true, indeed, that a ball placed
very close to the brain may bring down and stun
an elephant for a few seconds, but the effect is
only temporary ; and any number of bullets in
the cranium, which fail to kill instantly, merely
cause a certain amount of temporary annoyance.
Knowing these facts, I never expected to see
my elephant again, but a moment came, later on
in the day, when I wished my expectations had
come true. After a terrible walk ot hours,
tracking the wounded tusker, who persisted in
following along old elephant-tracks, made no
doubt by himself, through tall grass, under a
baking sun, and being continually tripped up by
the layers of dead grass stamped down by those
mighty feet, we were all thoroughly exhausted
by half-past three, when there were no signs of
our coming up with our game. As we were, by
this time, not quite sure of our locality, on
finding a small shady spot where a few bushes
had grown up in the long grass, I called a halt
and told one of my men to climb a tree and try

1 2 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

and ascertain the position of the Langat Riven
Scarcely had he called out from the tree that
we were quite close to the river, and that the
canal between the two islands was only a few
yards from where we were sitting down, than
suddenly I heard him utter "Tuan ! Tuan ! *'^ and,
looking up, saw him pointing excitedly in the
direction of the canal, thus indicating that he
had seen the elephant. Jumping to my feet, and
advancing in the direction indicated, I saw a
dead tree some forty yards ahead, close to which
the Malay said he had seen the elephant moving.
Alongside the river-bank grows a coarse rank
shrub with a leaf somewhat like a hartVtongue
fern, which runs to seven or eight feet high and
is almost impenetrable. The elephant had
passed through this mass, following an old
beaten track some two feet wide, with walls of
the shrub on each side. The debris of the
trampled undergrowth was quite twelve inches
thick, and the holes caused by the elephant's
tracks were obstacles by no means easy to
negotiate, except at a very slow pace. Although
the track in front extended for about thirty
yards, I was quite unable to see the elephant, as
a sharp bend to the right hid him from view ;

1 *' Sir ! Sir ! '*

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 13

but a movement in the undergrowth gave me
his position, this being almost immediately
followed by a short, sharp shriek, and a rush,
when the next thing that I saw was the elephant
coming round the corner like an express train,
with ears cocked right forward, trunk bent in
towards his chest, and his entire aspect de-
noting rage and wickedness. Now, although
it is comparatively easy to sit quietly in a
comfortable arm-chair and write instructions
as to what to do when charged by a wounded
elephant, when the actual crisis arrives, the
sportsman being probably tired, hungry, and
thoroughly sick of the whole affair, his first
inclination is to fire at the beast and then to get
out of the way as quickly as possible. That was
certainly my sensation when I saw the infuriated
elephant bearing down on me like a ship in full
sail. I fired at him at about twenty-five yards,
making the great mistake of not letting him
come another ten yards closer, and then tried to
extricate myself from the dead undergrowth
which entangled my feet. The Malay carrying
my second gun (also a ten-bore) was just behind
me, and as soon as I fired he attempted to dive
into the undergrowth to the left, while I tried to
retrace my steps, but had only gone three or four

14 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

paces when, realising that flight was hopeless, I
turned round to face the elephant. My shot
seemed to have shaken him a good deal, as he
had slackened his pace somewhat, but, by the
time I turned round, he was within five yards'

A Dead Elephant.

distance. My gun -bearer was now in front
instead of behind me, but, as he was almost
hidden at the side of the track, the elephant took
no notice of him. At the last moment, when
my nerves were strung to the utmost, and seconds
seemed like hours, I aimed at the elephant to
give him my second barrel. At that instant.

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 15

when my life probably depended on the success
of the shot, I was able to see with the most
astonishjng clearness every line, every wrinkle,
on the monster's forehead, and the vital spot at
the base of his trunk stood out as if a bull's-eye
had been painted thereon. The muzzle of my
rifle must indeed have been within two yards of
the elephant's forehead when I pulled the trigger,
to be answered by a — misfire ! Having no time
to think of what was happening, the next thing
of which I became conscious was being on the
ground with the elephant passing over me ; I
saw the flash of a tusk as his head came down,
and then the great beast swept across, giving me
an opportunity of seeing him from trunk to tail,
from quite a novel point of view, although this
did not strike me at the time. One of his hind-
feet just grazed my right leg at the back of
the knee, otherwise I was untouched ; but the
elephant, who had not done with me yet,
pulled himself up in about five yards, and turned
round at me again. While all this was going on
I had not been idle ; and as soon as the beast
had passed over me, and I realised that I was
unscathed, I jumped up and ran in the direction
from which the elephant had come, unfortunately
without my rifle, which I had lost in the

1 6 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

scramble. As I sprang up, the elephant had
just got round again, and my gun-bearer, naturally
thinking that I was finished, and that the beast
was now coming for him, hastily fired, the rifle
going off practically in my face, so that the
powder cut one cheek a good deal, leaving marks
for several months. The gun-bearer was scarcely
to blame for nearly carrying out what the
elephant had failed to do, since I was just rising
from the ground when he fired, and he could not
possibly have expected me to come to life so
quickly. Although his bullet missed the
elephant — the men behind heard it whistling
through the trees over their heads — this shot,
which did not hit its mark, succeeded in effecting
what mine had failed to do, namely, to turn the
elephant ; but this, of course, I only found out
afterwards. As I passed by my gun-bearer, I
caught hold of his arm and told him to follow
me, as I was anxious to regain my rifle, without
which I felt very unsafe ; but he appeared to mis-
understand me, for, on diving into the jungle to
my right, where I saw a small opening, I found
that he had not followed. Creeping through
the thick undergrowth, only too thankful to be
clear of the elephant, in a few moments I found
myself on the bank of the dry canal, which had

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 17

been the cause of all our trouble, the elephant
having been unable to cross it owing to the tide
being out (when it becomes practically dry) and
the mud at the bottom very deep. No doubt
the old rogue had intended to flee to the main
island, but finding his retreat cut ofF till the tide
rose, was loitering about on the bank, brooding
over his trouble, until he could swim across. If,
however, he could not get across before, he
certainly could not do so now, so I struggled to
the other side, sinking up to my thighs in the
soft mud, and at last felt safe. Hearing nothing
further, I called to my men, who almost immedi-
ately appeared on the opposite bank, bringing
with them my lost rifle, which I am glad to say
was undamaged. The elephant, it appeared, had
swerved off the track when my gun-bearer fired,
and returned towards the centre of the island.
It was now after four o*clock, and all further
hunting was out of the question, irrespective of
the fact that my leg was a little stiflF, a bad bruise
appearing down the calf, and that we had many
miles to go to get home. One of my men, seeing
a small quantity of blood on my face, inquired
if the elephant had trodden on my head, my
presence being apparently insufficient to assure
him that this was not the case ; and it was then.

1 8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

for the first time, I learnt how close to my face
my second rifle had been when fired by my gun-
bearer. As soon as I obtained my rifle, I opened
the breech to discover the cause of the misfire;
and found that although the cap of the cartridge
had been untouched by the striker, the hammer
was down, and careful examination showed that
a thick piece of grass was wedged between the
inside of the latter and the outside of the breech,
thus acting as a break on the action of the
hammer as it fell. It was my own fault : I
should have examined the rifle from time to time,
a contingency such as had happened being not
unlikely after so many hours in the thick grass
and undergrowth through which we had tracked
the rogue.

As the Langat River was not a hundred yards
from where we now were, we made our way
down to the bank to wait for the chance of pick-
ing up a boat, since we knew that with the
rising tide a good number of boats were likely to
come up the river, bringing up leaves of nipa
palm, which are used to make thatch for
temporary houses. Sure enough, within half an
hour we descried a boat creeping up the opposite
bank, and hailing it, were soon on our way back
to Telok Penglima Garang, where we arrived a

A Narrow Escape from an Elephant 19

little before eight o'clock, after a long and trying,
not to say exciting, day.

It happened I had lately been reading Oswell's
account, in the volumes of the Badminton Library
on Big-Game Shooting, of how he was nearly
killed by an elephant which passed right over him,
and how for nights afterwards he had suffered
from night- elephants ! I fully expected an
attack of the same complaint, but, I suppose
owing to being very tired, slept that night as
soundly as ever in my life. Afterwards, how-
ever, I felt the effects of my experience
severely, my nerves being decidedly "jumpy"
the next time I came up to wild elephants. As
I was compelled to return to Klang the next
morning, I had no opportunity of hunting this
elephant again for some months, but although
later I tried hard, I was never lucky enough to
meet him, as he almost entirely forsook the
small island, preferring to keep hidden in the
depths of the main one ; and I always reckon
that this elephant " scored " off me to a consider-
able extent, although not to the degree that he
might have done had it not been for my ex-
ceptional good luck in escaping.

CHAPTER II

THE MALAY AS A SPORTSMAN

Feeterated Malaya, until the seventies of the
last century, was practically a terra incognita for
the white man, and it may be safely surmised
that until the time when the British Government
obtained a footing, no white sportsman pursued
big game in the country. The Malay, therefore,
in the old days, that is to say, when all the present
Federated Malay States were under native rule,
was the only hunter of big game in the country,
with the exception of the aboriginal inhabi-
tants of the Peninsula, namely, the Sakais of the
Southern States.

Until the advent of fire-arms, the natives
trapped their game either in pitfalls or by means
of the penurun^ or wooden spear, suspended over
a game-track, a description of which is given
in the second part of this book, or by nooses.
All these methods are still in use at the pres-
ent time, although pitfalls are seldom employed

22 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

except by the Sakais. The method of capturing
seladang by means of a noose is very simple, and
often most effective ; and I well remember one
case at Kuala Jelai in the Negri Sembilan where
a big bull was caught and killed in this way.
The procedure is as follows : A spot being
selected where seladang are known to cross a
river (such places are called by the Malays
chendorong^ meaning a beaten path leading down
to a ford where game cross the river), a large
noose made of plaited rattan is suspended in the
centre of the run, and fastened overhead to the
branches of the most convenient tree. Should a
seladang attempt to cross the river at this place,
with luck, he may put his head right into the
noose, when, of course, he soon becomes entangled
and helpless. He is, however, an extraordinarily
powerful animal, and if the slack of the rattan
be too long he occasionally breaks away, taking
the noose with him as a memento of an
uncomfortable experience. In the event of a
seladang being thus caught fairly round the
neck, it soon renders itself helpless by its
exertions to get free, and when the natives arrive
is despatched in the usual orthodox method, as
the Malays, being Mohammedans, will not eat
the flesh of any animal that has not had its

The Malay as a Sportsman 23

throat cut while still living. In consequence of

this prejudice, any trap set for seladang is fairly
well watched, as the only object in slaying these
animals is to obtain the meat, and incidentally
to sell the head to any likely purchaser who may
pass that way, the Malay himself not valuing a
trophy as such, but merely preserving it for the
sake of its market price.

At the present time but few native hunters
are left, and with these the hunting is chiefly
restricted to tracking for white sportsmen, the
younger generation of Malays, under the influences
of civilisation, preferring to spend their time in
the towns rather than in the jungle, thus giving
rise to that rapid decline of wood-craft of which
the older generation was justly proud. The old
Datoh Raja Kiah of Pertang in Jelebu is indeed
probably now the best-known native hunter in
the Negri Sembilan ; in his day he has been a
fine sportsman, but is now well on in years and
is getting a little blind. He accompanied me
on a two months' shooting-trip, a description ot
which I give later on, and many a long yarn
have I had with him about the hunting in his
palmy days. Although his father was no sports-
man, his uncle was apparently very keen on the
chase, since the Datoh first acquired a taste for

24 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

this most fascinating of sports by accompanying
him while yet a lad. As a young man he
confined himself to the pursuit of rhinoceros, in
which he was so successful that he managed
to bag over a hundred head in, comparatively
speaking, a few years. The reason why he
.devoted himself to rhinoceros -hunting was
because the horns of these animals are very
highly valued by the Chinese, who use them as
a medicine, and he could consequently always
be sure of a good price for those he obtained.
Moreover, with his inferior weapons, it was
easier to kill rhinoceros than other kinds of big
game ; and during the Datoh's younger days
there was a great number of rhinoceros in the
valley of the Triang where he used to hunt.
According to the Datoh Raja, the Malayan
rhinoceros is not very difficult to kill, although
extremely difficult to come up with, owing to
its habit of lying during the day in the most
impenetrable swamps. The Raja told me that,
although often charged, he had never been in
trouble with rhinos, for in charging they never
turn from one direction, and that consequently it
is only necessary to step to one side to avoid them ;
he also stated that they, invariably tried to use
their teeth, charging with their mouths open.

The Malay as a Sportsman 25

never using their horns as weapons of offence.
The latter assertion is in complete accord with
what has been described by competent observers
in the case of the great Indian rhinoceros. As
he became older, the Raja turned his attention to
the pursuit of elephants and seladang, and
although not nearly so successful with these as
he had been with the rhinoceroses, he said that
he had accounted for 15 elephants and 34
seladang. From the former were obtained two
very fine pairs of tusks within the last five or six
years, both of which were for some time in the
Residency at Seremban ; they weighed, respec-
tively, above 80 lbs. and jy lbs., and the longer
pair measured just six feet. One seldom hears
of tusks longer than this in the Malay States at
the present day.

When going on a shooting expedition, Datoh
Raja would take two or three men with him, each
carrying a bundle of rice, a little salt-fish, betel-
nut, sirih-leaves (a bitter leaf which the Malay
chews with his betel), a small box containing
lime for use with the betel, and native tobacco.
The Datoh had his own gun, while possibly
among the party there might be one or two
more guns ; and thus equipped they would start
off to try and pick up fresh game-tracks. The

26 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

Datoh's gun was a real curiosity, being an old
Tower-musket kept together with pieces of
string. This gun would be loaded up nearly to
the muzzle, and why on earth it did not burst
every time it was fired it is difficult to conceive;
but the fact of its owner being able to use this
weapon for so long, and to kill so much game
with it, is a striking testimony to the excellence
of the old Tower-muskets. When the party
came across tracks of game they would decide
whether that particular beast or herd was worth
following up or not : in the case of rhino or
elephant, if the track were that of a solitary
animal, the Datoh would follow it, if not more
than four days old ; his experience being that it
is always possible to overtake in two days an
animal whose tracks are not older than forty-
eight hours. In the case of seladang, however,
only fresh tracks, that is to say, tracks not more
than twelve hours old, would be followed.
When the game was sighted, the Datoh would
approach by himself to take the shot ; if an
elephant, he almost invariably fired behind the
shoulder, preferring that to the head-shot, being,
as he himself expressed it, dissatisfied with the
latter owing to his frequent failures. As all
hunters know, an elephant hit in the head and

The Malay as a Sportsman 27

not instantly killed will frequently go for miles
without stopping, and is seldom seen again ; and
since the Datoh's weapons were not of the best,^
his frequent failures to kill with the head-shot
were due no doubt, to a great extent, to want of
penetration on the part of his bullet. The old
hunter told me indeed that he had only once
killed an elephant with his first shot, and he had
accordingly plenty of experience in following up
wounded game. Time is not of the least object
or value to a Malay, and the Datoh's great hunt
after the Gajah Tengkis (the elephant with the
deformed foot), a description of which is given
later, occupied no less than the greater part of
twelve months.

To return to our Malay hunters, on wounding
a beast the sportsmen would follow it until
killed, or, what was far more likely, until their
provisions gave out, when they would tem-
porarily relinquish the chase, and make for the
nearest village where they could get rice,
probably returning again to follow the wounded
animal if they thought that they stood much
chance of being ultimately successful. Occasion-
ally they might be too far away from a village
to get their food-supply quickly replenished, and
they would then have to subsist on roots or any-

2 8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

thing that they could scrape together in the
jungle, until they could reach some sort of civil-
isation. The Datoh Raja told me how once,
when with his brother. Imam Prang Samah,
after rhinoceros in the Sereting Valley, something
went wrong with their commissariat and they had
to live for three days on the cabbage of the
pallas palm (a dwarf palm very common in many
parts of the Malay jungle), that is to say, the soft
heart which is found in the stem at the point
where the leaves spring. Palm cabbage may be
all very well in a curry, but as the only item of
one's menu it leaves a good deal to be desired !

The Datoh Raj a, having been so frequently after
big game, became thoroughly acquainted with
the country, and his knowledge is of the greatest
value to any sportsmen who are anxious to hunt
in his haunts, and who can persuade the old man
to go with them. He knows, in fact, every salt-
lick, every game-track, every stream, every hill,
for miles and miles in the Triang Valley ; and he
can go through the thickest jungle with nothing
on but a short pair of trousers, and, although now
a little slow, it is easy to see that as a young
man he must have been a splendid tracker.
Men of the Datoh's stamp cannot, alas ! be
replaced ; and, in fact, among the present genera-

The Malay as a Sportsman 29

tion of Malay youths it is difficult to find one
who could avoid losing himself in the jungle,
should he be asked to go off a beaten track. In
the more remote districts the Malays still retain
indeed a little of their old wood-craft, but the
fascination of a town-life is too much for those
who live in the vicinity of any of the stations,
which are the outcome of the British Protec-
torate, and it is now often extremely difficult to
obtain men in such settlements to accompany
one into the jungle on anything like a prolonged
trip. Occasionally one may meet a Malay still
in the prime of youth who, possibly through early
influences, is a keen sportsman, and I was lucky
enough to obtain such a rarity, .and for two or
three years employed him as a tracker. This
man, whose name is Ahmat, is a son of Lebai
Jemal, an old Malay hunter of great fame; and no
doubt the instinct is hereditary, as the son is one
of the keenest hunters that I ever met. Ahmat
as a lad followed his father — one might almost
say that from his cradle he formed a liking
for the sport, having been with his father when
he had slain both elephants and seladang.
Ahmat's father has some wonderful stories of
shooting in the old days, but I think that his best
is one about an old seladang that he shot near his

30 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

home at Batang Benar, which may be given in
his own style :

"Tell me, Lebai Jemal," I said to him one
day, " about the old seladang that you once shot
near your home. Ahmat has told me something
about it, but I cannot quite believe what he said."

" Do you mean the one with the wasps, Tuan
(Master) ?" said Lebai ; and I could see his old
eyes glistening as he was reminded of his younger
days.

" Yes, that's the one, Lebai."

'' Well, Tuan, I was out hunting one day with
three of my friends, and we came across the tracks
of an old seladang — I could tell that it was very
old because its track was round like that of a
buffalo, and the spoor being quite fresh we
followed it up. You know, Tuan, how often in
following game one comes across wasps' nests,
and how annoying they are at times. Well, we
struck wasps almost at once ; we all got stung,
but running along the track appeared to get away
from them. We however ran into them again
almost at once, and were quite unable to shake
them off — never have I met so many wasps, Tuan;
and after half an hour or so I was really beginning
to think of giving up the chase, as we had all been
badly stung, and I, for one, was feeling very

32 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

unwell, when suddenly I saw the seladang in
front of me, and getting a good chance managed
to give him a bullet well behind the shoulder.
He was soon down, and running up to him to
cut his throat what do you think we found,
Tuan ? — that the beast was so old that the wasps
had actually made a nest between his horns, and
those that had been stinging us had come from
the seladang ! "

I could think of no suitable reply, as I did
not wish to hurt the old gentleman's feelings, so
answered nothing.

Lebai Jemal has given up hunting for many
years now, but is, I believe, still a good tracker.
His skill has certainly been inherited by Ahmat,
who is a splendid tracker, and a first-class man
with whom tq hunt. A Malay in this capacity
should not be treated as a servant, but more as
one of the party ; in most cases they know how
to keep their place, and the result is generally
a gain in the way they will hunt and track
for their Tuan. Ahmat as a youth shot several
elephants, and helped his father to shoot seladang,
so his knowledge of big game is not confined to
tracking. I well remember my first introduction
to Ahmat. He came to my house in Serem-
ban to ask for work, and said he knew that I

The Malay as a Sportsman 33

was fond of big-game hunting, and as he had
had a fair amount of experience with his father,
would I give him work, and when I went out
hunting I could take him with me. I gave
him some employment, and on my next shoot-
ing trip took him with me. He tracked well,
but was too excited in the face of game to be
altogether satisfactory. Although I have done
my best to break him off this bad trait, it is still
a weakness of his, and at times a little annoying ;
but as he is a splendid tracker, an accurate observer
of the habits of game, a good walker, and an
excellent companion in the jungle, I have always
tried to overlook this one bad point. I can
certainly say that he has never lost me chances
at game through his excitement ; and I have
known him, when following a track half a day
old, tell within half an hour how long it would
take us to get up to the beast we were after. I
have seen him tracking through water up to his
waist, with nothing but a turned leaf here and
there to show the direction that the game had
taken, without the slightest hesitation ; and in
fact I can truthfully say that Ahmat has at times
been invaluable, and has helped me to obtain
my game in a way only a first-class tracker is
capable of doing. Another Malay tracker,

34 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

named Imam Prang Dollah, who accompanied
me several times, was equally as good a tracker
as Ahmat but not nearly so accomplished a
hunter, continually going too fast when close
to seladang, and on many occasions losing me
the chances of a shot. Seladang can only be
approached with the greatest caution, being
extraordinarily wary, and rushing off at the
slightest suspicion of danger ; but Prang Dollah,
although quite up to all the peculiarities of the
beast he was so clever at tracking, failed to
realise the great importance of being always on
the alert. Prang Dollah waa with me when I
shot my first seladang, and the story of how
easily I got that animal is, I think, well worth
recounting.

During Christmas week of 1899 ^ managed
to get away for the holidays, and went with a
friend to Kuala Jumpol in search of seladang.
My friend Daly was as keen to get a seladang
as myself, neither of us having had an oppor-
tunity of previously visiting this neighbour-
hood, which was full of game, and the stories
we had heard of the seladang were enough to
make our mouths water. We stopped on the
24th December at Kuala Jumpol Police Station,
where we met Prang Dollah. 1 had never seen

The Malay as a Sportsman 35

him before, and at first sight he rather impressed
me, being a cool, quiet-spoken man of about
forty-five, who, without being over-confident,
expressed his opinion that we ought to find
seladang during the next few days. He said
that he proposed to take us to Kuala Jelai on
the morrow, where seladang frequently came
into the Malay's padi (rice in the ear, either
before it is cut, or, being ciit, before it is milled),
and did a good deal of damage.

The following day, although we came up
to a solitary bull seladang, we got no chance of
a shot. That evening we camped in an old shed
at Kuala Jelai, and as it was Christmas we tried,
with the help of our Malay carriers, to have
some fun ; the Malays performing their native
dances to the accompaniment of improvised
tom-toms, and thus helping us to while away
an hour or two. As on the following day we
failed to pick up any further tracks at Kuala
Jelai, we returned to Kuala Jumpol to sleep,
intending on the morrow to go down-stream —
the Sereting River — where Prang DoUah in-
formed us there were several salt-licks {sesap of the
Malays), to which seladang frequently resorted.
Leaving Kuala Jumpol early on the morning of
the 27th with Daly, Prang DoUah, and two

» 5

36 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

coolies, we proceeded to follow the old Malay
track to Bahau, where the first sesaf lies. Our
camp-goods we sent down the Sereting by boat,
to a Sakai encampment at Kenawan, where we
expected to stop the night. Our road lay through
small undergrowth that had grown up where
there had been old clearings, and then through
grass-fields and big jungle. When close to
Bahau we came into a clearing in which an old
native, half-Malay and half-Sakai, kept a large
herd of semi- wild water bufllaloes. As we crossed
the end of this clearing to get to the salt-lick
hard by in the jungle, we attracted the notice of
a young bull buffalo, which seemed to object to
our presence and commenced to make decidedly
objectionable overtures. Prang DoUah tried to
wave the beast ofl!\, but it was disinclined to go,
and suddenly made a short rush at Daly. I
called to him to shoot, as it was getting uncom-
fortably close, at the same time covering it with
my rifle, but fortunately at that moment a well-
directed piece of stick thrown by Prang DoUah
hit the beast on the nose and it sheered oflf". It
was indeed lucky that we did not shoot, as we
were close to the salt-lick, and the sound of the
shot would have disturbed the game that we
found there during the next few minutes^

The Malay as a Sportsman 37

Approaching the salt-lick we found an old cow
buffalo wallowing at one end, but as she did
not seem to notice us, we left her undisturbed.
Moving through a small patch of undergrowth
to approach the other end of the salt-lick, we
suddenly heard a noise like that made by a
cork popping out of a bottle, and Prang Dollah
touching me on the arm said that it had been
made by an animal in the salt-lick as it squelched
through the mud. It had been arranged that
I should take first shot, so crawling cautiously
in the direction of the sound, I presently caught
sight of a magnificent head and horns, and could
make out the glint of a surprised eye staring
at me through the tangled jungle. '' Timbah !
Timbah!" ("Shoot ! Shoot!") said Prang Dollah
in a hoarse whisper, doing his best to put me ofl!^
my shot at the moment I was trying to make
out some point at which to shoot, as I could
only see the animal's forehead at all distinctly,
which afforded anything but a certain shot
through the thick undergrowth. Realising that
the few seconds at my disposal were rapidly
going, I knelt down and took a steady shot at
the forehead — instantly answered by a bound
and a rush which speedily took the beast out
of sight. As the noise of the galloping died

38 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

away, so did all hope in my breast of getting
the animal ; and, turning to Daly, I tried to
excuse myself by saying that I had had a most
indistinct shot, that I had been compelled
to take the head-shot, that had I hit where
I had aimed I must have dropped the beast
dead in its tracks, but that probably I had
missed altogether. Daly answered that he had
seen the beast jump up in the air as it received
my shot, and that it appeared to plunge forward
as if hit. As we approached the spot, with
many misgivings on my part, I counted two
saplings that had been cut by my bullet, and
when we reached the place where the seladang
had stood, I detected a single drop of blood on a
blade of grass, which helped to raise my hopes,
as I had clearly not missed altogether. As we
followed the track for some yards, we at first saw
a few drops of blood, then a great deal, indicating
that the animal was bleeding profusely ; but we
could not understand where it was hit, since all
this blood could not possibly come from its head.
That it was badly wounded was quite evident, as
the rank grass which the animal had pushed into
the undergrowth round the salt-lick was thickly
covered with fast-congealing blood. As Prang
DoUah had gone ahead a little, I called him

i 8

40 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

back, when he excused his temporary absence by
saying that he had been following up a thick
blood -trail, and that we must hurry up if we
wanted to find the beast alive to cut its throat.
I quickly explained that we would do nothing of
the sort, and taking out my watch, ordered a
halt of half an hour, in order to give the beast
time to lose blood, and probably to lie down,
when the stiffening effect of his wound would
be greatly to our advantage.

After waiting a quarter of an hour, most of
which Prang Dollah spent fidgeting about and
grumbling that this was not the way to hunt
seladang, and that he for one was not afraid of
following the beast up at once, and a great deal
of rubbish of this sort, I suddenly missed him,
and calling his name was answered by " Tuan ! "
from some distance away in the direction that
the seladang had taken. On my calling and
asking what he was doing, he coolly answered
that he was looking for the dead seladang ! As
this was a most deliberate disobedience of orders,
I was very angry, and shouted to him to stop
where he was until we all came up to him ;
but while following him up we suddenly heard
a triumphant voice some fifty yards or so ahead
of lis calling out that the seladang was dead.

The Malay as a Sportsman 41

Nothing further could be gained by waiting, so
throwing my caution and anger to the winds,
I made for Prang Dollah as fast as I could,
when, sure enough, we found a magnificent bull-
seladang lying stone-dead.

On examining the head I found no mark of
a bullet, but seeing a great deal of blood on the
chest, I detected a bullet-wound almost in the
centre of the throat, which had cut the wind-
pipe and the carotid artery, and then traversed
the entire body. The seladang must have
thrown up his head at the moment I fired,
and instead of taking the bullet in his brain,
received it in the centre of his throat. He had
a good head, measuring 34 inches outside span
of horns, with a circumference of horn at base
of I7f inches ; lying on his side he measured 17
hands at the shoulder, the measurement being
taken between perperfdiculars. The distance that
I took my shot from was twenty-eight yards, and
the seladang had run two hundred yards at full
speed — his track showing that he had not relaxed
his speed until he fell dead.

I was afterwards very angry with Prang
Dollah, but as his surmise had turned out
correct, he could not, or rather would not,
appreciate the force of my remarks. The

42 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

jungle was very thick where we followed this
beast, and with a seladang less severely wounded,
Prang Dollah's action might have been attended
with serious results. It is indeed very difficult
to make Malays realise the importance of
obeying orders, if they themselves do not under-
stand the reason. Fortunately we were close to
the Sereting River, and were able to stop our
boat and camp that night on the right bank,
thus enabling us to secure the trophies before
proceeding further down stream. This had
indeed been an easy seladang to get, but it is
well to have an occasional stroke of luck of this
sort, as a set-oiF against the many blank days
which at times make big-game hunting in the
Malay States so tedious.

With the Datoh Raja, Ahmat, and Prang
Dollah I have had, and still hope to have, many
exciting days in the Malay jungles ; and as
Malay sportsmen, each in his own way, they are
good types of a race who, as companions in the
jungle of this little-known portion of the world,
are hard indeed to beat.

CHAPTER III

THE SELADANG AND ELEPHANT OF THE
FEDERATED MALAY STATES

The seladang of the Malay States is un*
doubtedly the same species as the gaur (Bos
gaurus) of India, but, owing to isolation and
other influences, has developed slightly diflferent
characteristics. Sanderson in his Thirteen Tears
amongst the Wild Beasts of India states that the
female gaur can easily be distinguished from
the male by her lighter colour and her white
stockings ; but this is not invariably the case
with the Malay animal, as I have seen cows
quite as black as the bulls, and with stockings of
the muddy colour which is supposed to be found
only on the bulls. I have also seen bulls
with stockings almost white. There are, there-
fore, no distinctive marks by which to tell cows
from bulls when they are seen in the jungle,
and as they are generally met in thick covert,
the picking out of the bulls is a difficult task.

44 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

Of course where they are encountered in the open,
and a bull is amongst several cows, his greater
size at once marks him out as belonging to the
superior sex, but in the Malay States one seldom
has an opportunity of thus comparing them.

An old bull seladang is a magnificent animal
to set one's eyes on, and is probably one of the
gamest beasts on earth. In appearance he is
almost quite black except for his legs, which
from the knees and hocks downwards are a
dirty yellow colour. There is a distinct frontal
ridge between the horns, which in a big bull
will measure 1 1 inches to 1 2 inches across ; this
ridge, as well as the forehead, being covered
with greyish brown hair, the same colour
extending to between the eyes where the hair
shades off to black. The inside of the ears is
chestnut, and sometimes at the back of the
horns and frontal ridge the prevailing colour is
dark brown rather than black, but with these
exceptions the animal is black. The hair on
the body is very short, the hide in very old
bulls being, in fact, almost bare.

The seladang has no dewlap and no hump,
thus differing entirely from the domesticated
cattle of the East, but there is a very distinctive
dorsal ridge running backwards from the neck

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 45

nearly to the middle of the back, where it
terminates very abruptly : the difference in a
big bull between the height of the dorsal ridge
and the level of the back being from 4 to 5
inches. Full-grown bull seladang measure, on an
average, from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet in height
at the shoulder, and about 9 feet from nose to
rump, all measurements being taken between
perpendiculars. The beauty of the seladang lies
chiefly in his head and shoulders, his great length
of body and somewhat low quarters giving him
rather a clumsy appearance behind the shoulders
— an appearance quite at variance with his
nature, as he is anything but a clumsy animal.
The cows are lighter built, and have poor
heads compared with the bulls ; the horns of an
old cow generally turn backwards, and, although
they often attain a fair length, seldom measure
more than 1 2 inches in circumference at the base.
By some of the natives there are supposed to
be .two species of wild cattle in the Malay States,
namely, the seladang and the sapi, the former
being a bigger and heavier animal, carrying a
better head and with slightly rougher hair than
the latter ; but I have been unable to get any
trustworthy evidence on this point, and am
inclined to think that the distinction is

46 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

imaginary, the variation being due to the
difference in the food the animals obtain in the
different valleys they frequent.^ I have shot
seladang in the Triang Valley with an entirely
different shape of skull to those I have killed in
the Sereting Valley ; the seladang in the latter
locality carrying finer heads, with broader skulls
and a much more defined frontal ridge. The
feeding in the Sereting Valley is better than
that in the Triang, the seladang being able to get
more grass, and as there is practically no popula-
tion for miles along the Sereting River, the animals
have been little disturbed for years — factors which
I feel sure account for the breeding of finer beasts.
The seladang, for so large an animal, has a
very delicate foot, his hoof being much smaller
than that of the water buffalo, although the former
is the bigger and heavier animal. The hoof is
not unlike that of ordinary domestic cattle, but
generally longer and more pointed ; the foot-
prints of an old bull are, however, frequently
rounded at the ends, owing to the hoofs wearing
away with age, and such rounded tracks are
always a sign that gladdens the heart of the
hunter. The hind-hoof of the seladang is a

1 By naturalists the Malay sapi, or sapi-utan, is considered to be
the bantin or banting {Bos sondaicus\ a very different animal. — Ed.

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 47

good deal smaller than the fore-hoof, and in hard
ground the solitary tracks of a big bull may be
mistaken for those of two animals, owing to the
difference in the sizes of the fore and hind feet.
The seladang carrying the biggest head recorded
as having been shot in the Malay States was
obtained by Mr. Da Pra at Kuala Jelai in the
Negri Sembilan. Unfortunately the specimen
was not well preserved, and the grandness of this
record- head has thus been somewhat spoiled.
As I cannot vouch for the measurements of the
body, I will not give them, but the head I have
measured myself. I have never seen another that
approaches it, nor have I been able to meet any
hunter, European or native, whose experience
has been other than mine. The measurements
are as follows :

Widest outside span of horns . . 46 inches.

„ inside „ „ • • 40 «

Width between tips of horns • 33 >>

Circumference at base of horns . . 20 J „
Length measured from tip to tip of horns across forehead,

78^ inches.

This animal was a solitary bull.

Seladang are only found in little - inhabited
districts, and then only in hilly or undulating
country. They are extremely shy, but occasion-
ally enter the rice-fields of the Malays and Sakais

48 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

when the crops are still young, and if undisturbed
will do a good deal of damage ; and I know of
two places in the Negri Sembilan where seladang
frequently visit the rice-fields and help them-
selves to the young shoots. The Sakais often
complain of seladang entering their rice-clear-
ings, but they leave these unprotected for days
together when away hunting, and even the most
timid animal will take advantage of such neglect.
Along the coast of Selangor I have never heard
of seladang being found — in fact in Selangor
there are now few anywhere, except at the north
end, on the boundaries of Pahang and Perak. In
the Negri Sembilan, seladang are to be found in
the valleys of the Triang, Sereting, Muar, and
their tributaries, and an occasional one nearer the
coast. I remember an old bull seladang which
travelled right across the Negri Sembilan into
Malacca. I followed him for two days, but
although I came up to him I never got a chance
of a shot, and from the way he wandered about
he gave me the impression that he was far
away from his native tract. He came down from
the direction of Batang Benar, and crossed the
Sungei Ujong railway near the tenth mile, thence
taking a line more or less parallel with the coast.
Years ago there was a big herd of seladang at

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 49

Batang Bcnar, but I believe old Lebai Jemal
accounted for most of them, as there are none
now left in that district, and I think this bull
must have been the sole survivor. Seladang
invariably retreat before man, and the opening
up of the country is far more likely than shoot-
ing to cause the disappearance of these splendid
animals, which are well able to take care of
themselves, and, when much hunted, soon change
their quarters. The Sereting River from Kuala
Jumpol down to Renggam used to be a certain
find for seladang ; but during the last two or
three years they have been disturbed a good deal,
and I was informed by Prang Dollah, the man
best qualified to judge, that many of the big herds
which used to be there had gone over to Gemen-
cheh on the Muar River. When I write about
a big herd of seladang being in a district, I mean
a matter of twenty or thirty animals, the quantity
of game being on a much smaller scale than in
the better-known hunting-grounds of Asia. I
remember once being in the Sereting Valley and
seeing a herd of about thirty seladang in an open
clearing late one evening — in fact they did not
come out of the jungle until it was almost dark ;
but a grander sight than these fine cattle stalking
into the open just at dusk, moving very quickly.

50 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

feeding a little here and there, and always alert,
I have seldom seen.

In my opinion bull seladang do not always
remain solitary, but enter and leave the herds in
the same way as bull elephants ; this opinion is,
I know, at variance with the observations made by
Indian sportsmen in regard to the gaur, but, as
already said, I think the two rarest of the species
have distinctive peculiarities. In the Sereting
Valley there is an old bull seladang, the size of
whose track is such that it is quite unmistakable ;
and I have seen this beast quite solitary, with no
herd' within miles, and I have also found his
tracks amongst those of a large herd. All the
Malay hunters whom I have met from time to
time confirm my opinion, that bull seladang,
when once grown to maturity, join and depart
from the cows as they like.

Solitary bull seladang are far and away the
most exciting animals to pursue, affording finer
sport than a herd, and being much more difficult
to approach ; in addition to which, one always
has the satisfaction of knowing that, should your
stalk be successful, the animal you see is the one
that you want. Herd seladang, except when
met in the open, are very unsatisfactory to follow
up, as there is probably only one, or at the most

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 5 1

two bulls, which would be worth killing ; and
the chance of getting a shot at them is decidedly
against you, since the cows invariably keep a
sharp look-out, besides which, one always runs
the chance of mistaking a cow for a bull, and
thus of shooting the wrong animal.

Seladang feed at all times of the day, but
generally lie down between eleven and two
o'clock. Their habits, however, are very uncer-
tain, and I have found them lying down at seven
o'clock in the morning, and again at five in the
afternoon ; solitary seladang being great offenders
in this respect, and apparently lying down when-
ever it pleases them, which makes them most
difficult to approach, as they are hard to see
when lying down in thick jungle, and, by keep-
ing perfectly still, have a great advantage over
the moving sportsman. These animals generally
feed in the open during the night, but occasion-
ally during the evening and early morning, and
are sometimes found lying down in the grass-
clearings, during the day. Where there are old
clearings upon which grows the coarse grass
known as lalang^ tracks are always to be found if
there are any seladang in the district. These
fields of lalang become very thick and rank when
left unburnt for six months or so, and are so

52 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

easily ignited in dry weather that a match will
set the whole field blazing, and leave it absolutely
bare of all grass ; the roots, however, are not in
the least affected, and young lalang soon springs
up. Thus within about ten days there is a fine
new green carpet of tender shoots, and the sela-
dang, with the peculiar instinct of which all wild
animals are possessed, soon find out where they
can get good food. If a plain which has thus been
burnt ofF be watched during the cool hours of the
evening, or visited early in the morning, seladang
may frequently be seen, or, at any rate, fresh tracks
may be picked up where they have been feeding
during the night. In the event of fresh tracks
of a herd being found, the animals themselves
will probably be soon met with, possibly within
a few minutes, if they have not been disturbed in
the district for some time, as they often lie up
during the day close to the clearings, returning
again in the evening to feed on the young grass.
The tracks of a solitary bull may, however,
merely indicate that the animal has just passed
through, eating a little here and there, and then
continued his wanderings without the slightest
intention of returning ; and many hours may be
spent before he is encountered, often, indeed, the
whole day without coming up to him at alL

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 5 3

As an instance of the ways of a really clever
solitary seladang, I think the following story is
worth repeating. While hunting down the
Sereting one Easter, Daly and myself, with
Ahmat as tracker, visited the Kenawan sesap
early one morning, and, on approaching it along
one of the numerous game-paths, were suddenly
startled by an animal, which for an instant we
thought was a seladang, jumping up within
twenty yards of us and rushing off through the
jungle. We were able to see nothing, but on
examining the tracks discovered that the creature
was a large sambur stag. We were about a
hundred yards from the sesap, and leaving the
spoor of the sambur, returned to the game-track
and crawled into the salt-lick, where we found
no game. We discovered, however, the tracks
of a big bull seladang which had just left, the
froth from his mouth being still fresh on the
ground, and who no doubt had moved off when he
heard the rush of the frightened deer. Seladang
are nothing if not wary. I had observed pre-
viously, and I noticed afterwards on several occa-
sions, that this big seladang, whose track was easily
distinguishable by its great size, was frequently
followed by a very large deer, and on this
occasion we had met them practically together.

54 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

I have no doubt that these two animals were
companions, and that their mutual cunning pro-
tected them both ; at any rate, in this case, the
deer had certainly saved the seladang, since the
larger animal had been in an exposed position
for some time, and could be easily seen from the
track along which we approached the salt-lick*
Indeed he probably lay half-dozing and chewing
the cud, as the froth on the ground indicated, so
that we should almost certainly have had a shot
at him had he not been warned. It may only
have been a coincidence, but the fact remains
that the action of the smaller animal probably
saved the life of the larger. A little later, as we
were peering about the salt-lick, keeping absolutely
quiet, we heard the unmistakable squelching of
an animal moving through the swamp, which
proved to be our seladang, slowly wending his
way to the high ground by which we were sur-
rounded. We waited for a few minutes — it
would have been almost impossible to have
approached the bull through the swamp until he
was well out of it ; and he was probably on the
qui vive^ so that we should only have frightened
him away, as we could not possibly move through
such a place without making a certain amount of
noise. Giving him sufficient time to get well

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 55

out of the swamp, we followed cautiously, and
were soon taken by the tracks up to the high
ground, which proved little better than the
swamp, as it was one tangled mass of creepers ;
this, although presenting apparently little diffi-
culty to the seladang, being a nasty place for
us to stalk through. After picking our way
painfully and slowly through about two hundred
yards of these creepers, we came to a small spot
where the creepers had disappeared and a little
grass had forced its way into the secondary
growth. Here we called a halt, as we wished to
leave our coolies behind and follow up alone with
Ahmat. Daly and I had scarcely started when
we heard a rustle ahead of us, which was almost
instantly changed into the unmistakable rush of
the big beast we were after ; but the thunder of his
hoofs on the ground soon died away as he dis-
appeared into the thickness of the jungle. We
had been unable to see anything of the animal
although within fifteen yards of him ; and on
examining his tracks we found that he had not
been at rest, but loitering about, and, hearing or
scenting us, had changed his attitude of indolence
to one of energetic action.

There was nothing to do but wait, as I knew
that this old bull would not make a halt for

56 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

some time, and then when he did stop would
be very much on the alert. In open jungle it
is, I believe, possible and sometimes profitable
to run after a seladang when he is disturbed, as
he often stops and turns round after going a
hundred yards or so, giving the chance of a
shot ; but in nearly all the Malay jungles in
which I have hunted any attempt at running
would soon be checked by a fall, the creepers
and roots, not to mention the thorns, making
even walking a difficulty. Accordingly, we
waited for over an hour, and then, at about ten
o'clock, followed up the bull. The Kenawan
sesap lies close to a small stream, the Kenawan
River, and about three miles up-stream from
the salt-lock Ulu Kenawan (the source of the
river) is reached, where there is an old clearing
containing quantities of wild pisangs (banana),
a spot frequently visited by wild elephants.
The seladang made for this place, where we
expected to catch him up, as he could get good
fodder in the way of grass or lalang, and would
more than likely be found lying down in that
vicinity during the heat of the day. To avoid
all possibility of noise being made by too many
following, and being most anxious to get this
bull, which we knew from his track must be a

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 5 7

fine one, we started off alone, leaving our coolies
to follow an hour afterwards. Ahnftt led, doing
the tracking; I followed, carrying the eight-bore;
and Daly brought up the rear with a ten-bore.
For six hours we followed and stalked this
cunning beast, who doubled and redoubled on
his tracks, and, finally, when he reached Ulu
Kenawan, spent a considerable time hunting out
all the places where lay dead pisang leaves,
following them assiduously as if with the
intention of leaving his tracks in such positions
that any person following would betray his
proximity by the noise he made, as it is quite
impossible to walk over these broad leaves
without making them crackle. Apparently he
failed to stop at Ulu Kenawan, except for a
few minutes, probably listening, as we could
find no trace of his having eaten anything.
Not uncommonly seladang when pursued will
turn round and face their own tracks, and that
this had been done continually by the animal
in front of us, his footprints clearly showed.
Leaving Ulu Kenawan he once more came
back towards the salt-lick, although in anything
but a straight line — up hill, down dale, round
the foot of the hills, along the bed of the
streams, he led us a regular dance. All this

58 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

time we were stalking him, constantly crawling
up to the tops of hillocks in the expectation
of finding him lying down at the top ; and
this we did more times than I can remember.
To continue this sort of work for hours through
very thick jungle, carrying a 17-^ lbs. rifle, is, to
say the least of it, trying ; and when it was
nearly four o'clock and still no sign of the
seladang I thought we had better give up the
pursuit. VVe had told our coolies — there had
been three with us — to keep an hour behind,
but although they had no doubt started a long
time after us, we had been going so slowly
that by four o'clock they had almost caught
us up. Ahmat had halted for an instant behind
a large clump of bertam, a jungle palm, when
we heard a noise behind us made by our coolies.
This was very annoying, as we could see a
thinning of the jungle to our left which indicated
a clearing of some sort — a most likely spot in
which to meet the beast ; so we waited for our
men, to admonish them for making so much
noise. Alas ! before we could communicate
with them we were startled by a slight noise in
front, which quickly changed into a rush, and a
magnificent bull seladang sprang up from exactly
behind the bertam bush, and was instantly going

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 59

full speed away from us. The animal had
actually been lying down within six yards of
us, but so absolutely astonished was I when he
sprang up, and so quickly did he get into his
full stride, that before I could pull myself
together the chance of a shot was gone. After
carefully examining his tracks, we found that
the cunning old bull had gone into the small
clearing we had seen, where he had walked
back parallel with his own path, but only a
few yards distant from it, after which he quietly
lay down behind the bertam bush in such a
position that he could watch his own tracks.
We must have approached him very quietly
to have got so close as we did, but the coolies
behind gave the position away ; and while we
were waiting for them we were momentarily
off our guard. Had this seladang been wounded,
he would have been a nasty customer to have
stopped at such close range ; in fact, the chance
of a shot had he charged would have been very
small indeed. As we could do nothing further
that day, we returned to camp, and, although
we followed him up the next day, never saw
him again. He is still, so far as I know, to
be found in the Sereting Valley, a grand old
beast ; and long may his cunning keep him with

6o Elephant, and Seladang Hunting

his head where nature put it, and not hanging
up in somebody's verandah !

I have often followed solitary seladang,
which have kept me on the alert all day with-
out ever coming up with them. Seladang,
before lying down, generally circle about, pre-
sumably looking for a comfortable spot in which
to lie down — a manoeuvre which puts one on
the alert to find them sleeping. But where
these animals have been much hunted, the old
bulls become very cunning, and, when once put
up, will spend a whole day marching round,
thus giving the impression that they are about
to stop, when in reality they are merely play-
ing with you and going along hard all the
time.

Another favourite dodge of theirs is to follow
for miles the old game-paths, which in dry
weather will scarcely show any tracks at all ;
and if one is a few hours behind, the tracks
are liable to be lost, or, at any rate, are so
difficult to follow that the beast is never over-
taken. I remember one day being rather
astonished by Ahmat following a track out of
the jungle on to a hard-beaten game-path,
which was quite dry, and showed little if any
trace of footprints. As soon as he was on the

62 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

path, he followed it as fast as he could go —
much faster than he had been going in the
jungle, although it appeared to me that the
track was much less distinct. At last it turned
off into the jungle again, and Ahmat resumed
his slower pace. I asked him how he could
follow the spoor easier on the game-path than
in the jungle, when he replied that he had^
not been following the track at all, but watch-
ing where the beast had re-entered the jungle,
as, if not in the jungle, it must have followed
the path. Not a bad piece of reasoning for a
native !

The elephant of the Malay Peninsula belongs
to the same species as the one found in India
and Ceylon, but differs from the Ceylon race
in that, practically, all the males carry tusks.
Only once have I come up to a solitary elephant
which was tuskless ; of course it is possible
that it was a cow, although I think this unlikely.
The Datoh Raja once shot a very big bull elephant
which he found to his disgust, when too late,
to be tuskless ; but I know of no other instance
where tuskless males have been recorded.

Elephants roam all over the Federated Malay
States, and in some places are fairly plentiful.
In the States of Selangor and Perak they are how-

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 63

ever not so numerous as in the other two States,
Pahang being by far the best of the four for this
class of hunting. In the Negri Sembilan there
are still several herds of elephants, but very few
big tuskers left ; the Malays hunted them there
a good deal some twenty years ago, when most of
the bulls, big and small, were killed off. The
Datoh Raja of Pertang, and Lebai Jemal of
Batang Benar, Ahmat's father, have, between
them, shot many big tuskers in the Negri
Sembilan. Elephants in this country are
generally met with in herds of from five to
seven, or from twelve to fifteen, head — seldom
more than the latter number. The big bulls are
not often found with the herds ; in fact during
several years' hunting I have only three times
come up to big tuskers with the cows, -and in
two of these cases I had been after the beasts
when they were by themselves, and their tracks
led me into a herd. On several occasions I have
hunted elephants which have been in couples
(the Malays call them Gajah Bandong)^ and in" all
cases they were two tuskers, generally one big and
the other small. This seems to be a peculiarity
of the Malay elephant, as I have not noticed it
mentioned by writers on the Indian elephant ;
and it seems a by no means uncommon trait

64 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

in the habits of the animal in this country.
Solitary elephants are only solitary so long as it
suits them ; and I have never been able to trace
an authentic case of an elephant which kept
entirely to himself. The largest tuskers are
generally solitary and remain so for months, but
vsrhen a herd approaches their district they soon
effect an entrance. I think the proportion of big
males is so small compared to the cows, that no
tusker once he has attained the age of" manhood '*
is kept out of the herd owing to there being no
place for him ; and as I have so often come across
herds consisting of cows and calves only, with no
bull in the vicinity, I am compelled to believe
there are so few tuskers that none of them,
owing to a dearth of cows, need lead a life of
celibacy.

In the early part of 1898 I shot a big tusker at
Damansara, near Klang, in the State of Selangor,
whose movements, which I had watched for
some time, proved decidedly interesting. I first
heard of him when he crossed a road under con-
struction near Damansara ; he was then by him-
self, but had taken a direction which would bring
him out at Puchong on the Klang River, a place
almost invariably frequented by a large herd of
elephants. A week or so afterwards I heard of

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 65

him again, when he had returned from Puchong
with some five or six other elephants, and had
passed through the corner of a cofFee-estate at
Damansara, the manager of which sent me word
of his arrival. The following day I was able
to go down to Damansara, and found that the
big tusker was with the herd, which- fortu-
nately remained in the vicinity of the estate*
I followed them up with the estate-manager, and
we soon got to close quarters, but before I could
get a chance at the tusker they winded us and
cleared off. The cows and a small tusker which
had come down from Puchong made for the
Klang River, but the big fellow turned back at
once, and crossing the estate road retraced his
steps towards Puchong. We followed him for
five or six hours, during the whole of which he
kept up a sharp walk, and when we were
thoroughly tired of the whole business, we heard
a rush some thirty yards in front of us, and away
he went again at full speed. As we only just got
out of the jungle before dark, and as I was un-
able to spend any more time at the moment, I
had to temporarily abandon the chase. I had,
however, a pretty good idea that the bull would
come back to the cows, — he had not brought
them all the way from Puchong for nothing, —

66 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

and, sure enough, five days afterwards I received
a telegram at Klang telling me that he had
returned to the estate, recrossing the road at
exactly the same spot where he cut it when he
ran away on the previous occasion. This was on
a Friday, and I was fortunately able to devote
the next two days to following up the tusker.
The cows had crossed the Klang River two or
three days before, and had been feeding in a long
arm of land almost surrounded by the river, and
the bull had made for this spot. I got up to
them on the Saturday but was unable to get a shot ;
on Sunday, however, I was more successful, for
after having put them up once, I followed them
up immediately and almost ran into the tusker,
who was in the rear of the herd and, having heard
or scented us, had turned round and was stand-
ing perfectly still gazing in our direction. I got
within twelve yards before I saw him, and then
was lucky enough to drop him dead with a
bullet in the brain. This elephant had a most
peculiar appearance, as the ends of his tusks were
crossed, and, as he stood facing me, they seemed
very large and formidable. He had also no
vestige of a tail, a peculiarity I mentioned in a
paragraph I wrote to the Field at the time.
I was answered by the author of Gun^ Rific^ and

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 67

Hound^ that partially or totally tailless elephants
were by no means uncommon in Ceylon, and
that it was supposed they had lost their tails
in fighting. This bull had no vestige of a tail,
and no elephant, however clever, could bite off
the tail of an adversary so close to the root that
all trace of it would disappear. I have shot
elephants with only stumps in place of tails,
undoubtedly the souvenirs of previous unsuccessful
encounters, but the Damansara elephant I am
inclined to believe never had a tail. He was a
very old animal, with a great deal of white about
his ears and neck, his tusks were long and thin,
and although measuring about 5 feet long, only
weighed 49 lbs. the pair. He stood exactly
9 feet at the shoulder, measurements being taken
between perpendiculars.

The height of an elephant at the shoulder is
given by most authorities as twice the circum-
ference of his fore-foot. This must, I think, mean
the measurement taken when the elephant is
standing up with all its great weight on its feet,
as the measurement of the circumference of the
fore-foot, taken when the animal is dead and lying
on its side, and taken when it is standing, are not
at all the same thing. Personally, I have never
had an opportunity of measuring a wild elephant's

68 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

foot when it was standing, but have measured
several after death, and have invariably found
that the measurement of double the circum-
ference of the fore-foot falls a little short of the
height at the shoulder — generally by some three
or four inches in a big elephant. The biggest
elephant that I ever shot measured 9 feet 3 inches
at the shoulder, but twice round its fore-foot
only measured 8 feet 8 inches, a difference of 7
inches. I took most careful measurements at the
shoulder, also of twice the circumference of the
fore-foot, several times, so that there could have
been no mistake about the relative dimensions.
On the other hand, a dead elephant which has
fallen on its side may measure slightly more at
the shoulder in that position than it would when
standing, as the enormous weight would probably
cause the body to flatten out in death. The
Datoh Raja had a practice of measuring the
imprint of the centre toe-nail of a solitary
elephant, and by continuing the curve, stated
that the result was the circumference of the
tusks at the gum. Males with one tusk only, the
tusk-cavity being wanting on the other side, have
been obtained in the Malay Peninsula ; a head
of such an elephant being preserved in the
Taipeng Museum, Perak. Big tuskers seldom

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 69

carry tusks weighing over 60 lbs. the pair,
although, according to the Malays, years ago
many elephants were killed with tusks weighing
a good deal heavier. Lebai Jemal indeed told
me that when a young man he shot an elephant
in Jelebu whose tusks weighed over a pikul
(i33y lbs.) the pair; but I am inclined to
think that their weight must have increased with
old Lebai's age. The Datoh Raja admits that
he never got a pair of tusks which weighed over
80 lbs. the pair.

When following up elephants it will be
noticed that the bulls almost invariably leave
certain indications by which an estimate can be
formed as to the size of their tusks ; either by
driving the latter into the banks as they cross the
streams, or by excavating tit-bits from the ant-
hills, with which the Malay jungles abound, or
by the impression left by one tusk when the beast
lies down. An elephant when about to lie down
almost invariably chooses a place where the ground
is on a slope ; and I have even seen their resting-
places on the sides of ant-hills, so that the
imprint of their tusks should be looked for on
such spots. If, in following a herd, no such
traces can be found, one may be pretty certain
that there is no tusker in the party. The track

70 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

made by the foot of a bull is generally longer
than that of a cow, but with a very large cow
the difference is but slight and not invariably
dependable.

It is remarkable what an amount of damage a
herd of elephants can do in a single night when
they take it into their heads to visit the native
clearings. Ten or twelve elephants left undis-
turbed in a rice-field for an hour or so will soon
finish off two or three acres of padi; not doing so
much damage by the amount they eat, but by
what they trample under foot, the younger
elephants being most extraordinarily mischievous,
pulling up the rice -stalks in hundreds out of
sheer mischief, without the slightest intention of
eating a tenth part of what they destroy. I have
been told by Malays that a solitary elephant
generally does more damage than a herd, as a
herd invariably signals its advent by trumpetings
and other noises, which give the natives plenty of
warning, thus enabling them to light fires and
frighten the marauders away before they do much
damage. On the other hand, a solitary elephant
will enter a rice-field quite quietly, walk all over
it, eat his fill, and go away without advertising
his visit in the way a herd does, so that the first
intimation the natives get is the sight of their

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 71

trampled padi in the morning. I remember a
story I once heard about a solitary elephant,
which the natives of the place thoroughly
believed. At a settlement called Bukit Panjong
(long hill), in Kuala Selangor, there were a
number of Banjerese, the natives of Banjer Massin
in Dutch Borneo, who had come as immigrants
to the Malay States to plant rice. These people
had two systems of cultivating rice : one by
planting newly cleared ground in the hills, and
the other by irrigating and permanently planting
the swamp-land. The former system of culti-
vation is a bad one, and much deprecated by
the Government, for when one crop of rice has
been taken off the land, the latter is generally
allowed to revert to secondary jungle, and no
lasting cultivation is, undertaken. Planting and
irrigating in the low land are much better, for
they form a permanent system of agriculture,
causing the people to settle and build villages.
These Banjerese had both hill-padi on Bukit
Panjong and swamp-padi in the low-lying land
near the main road from Kuala Selangor to
Klang ; but as their permanent cultivation was
near the road, they lived there for the greater
portion of the year, the huts that they occu-
pied at Bukit Panjong being merely temporary

72 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

structures. In the vicinity of the latter place
was a big herd of elephants, as well as a solitary
elephant — a very big fellow according to his
track — with one tusk broken, who, for what I
know, may be still there. In a certain season,
when the padi in the swamp was being attended
to, and all the huts at Bukit Panjong were
unoccupied, this solitary elephant visited the
hill-clearings, and while hunting about found one
of the Banjerese houses, which he promptly de-
molished. In the house the owner had left two
sacks filled with padi, some salt and certain other
edibles, which the elephant devoured ; but the
astonishing part of the proceeding was that the
elephant, not content with eating the salt and
padi, demolished the two bags in which the latter
was kept. I saw the ruined house and the
elephant's tracks two days after the damage had
been done, and as the owner swore to me that
the padi had been there, and as the bags were
nowhere to be found, where could they have
gone to but down the elephant's throat ?

Elephants at times certainly eat very extra-
ordinary things, although, as a rule, their food is
confined to grass, roots, creepers, and rattan.

The Malays have a legend about a certain
fruit that elephants occasionally eat, namely, the

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 73

durien, known to all the inhabitants of the
Malay Peninsula as the most luscious of all the
fruits to be obtained in that part of the world.
This opinion is, however, by no means univer-
sally held by Europeans, since the fruit, when two
or three days old, has a most unpleasant smell, —
unpleasant, that is to say, to a European nose, —
although it is not noticeable by the person eating.
In appearance a durien is a big mass of green
spines, about the size of a water-melon, with a
very thick skin, which, in combination with the
spines, makes it very difficult to open. When
opened, the seeds inside are found to be covered
with a creamy substance, which constitutes the
edible portion of the fruit, and when the durien
season is on, the wild elephants frequently visit
outlying dusuns (native orchards) to feed on the
fruit. As a rule, elephants eat the durien by
first stamping on it and then picking out the
seeds with their trunks; but as this is a tedious
process, and an elephant's appetite would not
thank you for anything less than some hundreds
of these seeds, they frequently, according to the
Malays, eat the durien whole — skin, spines, and
all. One has to see a durien to realise what this
means. The most curious point of the Malay
story is, however, that when elephants have

74 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

eaten duriens whole the fruits pass right through
their bodies without becoming disintegrated.
To find a durien which has gone through this
process is a red-letter day for a Malay, as the
fruit has now become a powerful medicine,
and as an ingredient for a love-potion cannot be
surpassed. As the seeds are completely protected
by the thick skin of the fruit, there is really no
reason why they should not survive the process.
I asked the Datoh Raja about this, but, although
he told me that he had heard of duriens having
been found which had gone through this ordeal,
he could not remember ever having seen one
himself.

Elephants almost invariably cease feeding in
the middle of the day, when, taking shelter
in the thickest part of the jungle, they doze
quietly in the shade for hours at a time. Herd-
elephants seldom lie down during the day,
preferring to stand for their mid-day siesta ; but
solitary bulls are very fond of lying down, and
frequently do so in two or three places during
every twenty-four hours. Herd-elephants when
resting during the hot hours of the day are
difficult to approach, as they keep absolutely
quiet, with probably a young cow on watch as a
sentinel. I remember once being after a herd of

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 75

elephants in Jelebu, when I nearly ran into the
party, owing to this habit of elephants keeping
so remarkably still when resting. We had
approached them once, but before I could ex-
amine the entire herd they got my wind and
fled. I waited for about half an hour and then
followed them up, but after nearly two hours*
tracking, as we had not come up to them, decided
to halt for lunch. We stopped on the side of a
small hill, and I had just started to eat my sand-
wiches when on the high ground above us,
not thirty yards away, the sound of breaking
branches and elephant-noises suddenly com-
menced. Away went my two coolies for the
most convenient trees ; Ahmat abandoned his
cold rice, and rushed for the rifles resting against
a tree a few feet away, and we beat a hasty
retreat down the hill, stopping at the foot to
formulate a plan of campaign. As the noise
appeared to have stopped, first taking the
direction of the wind, we made a detour and
approached the top of the hill from the other
side, when we found the herd of elephants
quietly resting, crowded close together, and one
or other occasionally flapping a lazy ear. They
were however a bit suspicious, and their suspicion
seemed to take the form of concerted action : all

76 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

of them, for instance, keeping quiet at the same
time, until one started to flap its ears, when they
all joined in, thus producing a somewhat aston-
ishing result, as for several minutes there would
be a considerable noise going on with the ear-
flappings, followed by silence for the next few
minutes. They kept this up for quite half an
hour, by which time I had noticed every
elephant in the herd, and as there was no tusker
with them, I departed. Of the eight elephants,
three were very large cows, whose superior
intelligence possibly conducted the entertain-
ment ; and if they had been circus-elephants
they could not have carried on their performance
with greater regularity !

Elephants are very fond of eating the pith
found at the top of cocoa-nut palms, and called
by the Malays umbut. They occasionally do a
great deal of damage among cocoa-nut plantations,
and become very indifferent to the presence of
man when after cocoa-nut umbut. I remem-
ber, for instance, a case at Jelebu, where two
elephants, both tuskers, regularly visited for
several weeks an unfortunate Chinaman's garden.
This man had seventy-four cocoa-nut trees before
the elephants started their games ; he had seven
when they had finished, and he only had these

The Malay Seladang and Elephant 77

seven because they happened to be a little
bigger than the others, and the elephants could
not push them down. An elephant when
desirous to get the umbut from a palm, will
push and pull at the tree until it is overthrown,
when he will stamp on the end until the pith is
exposed in such a manner that he can extract it
with his trunk. There are several wild palms
with umbut similar to that of the cocoa-nut, and
when following wild elephants one often comes
across these trees pushed over, and their umbut
extracted. It is indeed comparatively common
to follow the track of a solitary bull and find
that he has eaten nothing but umbut — a sign
which I always dislike, because he invariably
means to travel far, and one's chances of getting
up to him are consequently very small ; possibly
umbut has great sustaining power when used as
an article of diet. Such accessory details of the
chase soon give one a knowledge of the habits
and peculiarities of the quarry, and thus to my
mind constitute the great charm of big-game
hunting in this country.

PART II

A TWO MONTHS' SHOOTING TRIP IN THE
NEGRI SEMBILAN AND PAHANG

CHAPTER I

FROM SINGAPORE TO PERTANG, IN THE
' NEGRI SEMBILAN

After waiting many years for an opportunity to
proceed on an organised shooting trip, I found
that I was able to spend the latter part of 1902
and the early part of 1903 in the pursuit of
big game in the Negri Sembilan and Pahang.
Seldom is the realisation of one's sport equalled
by the anticipation, and often the bag obtained
is a miserable apology for that of one's dreams ;
but on the trip I am about to describe, the
results far exceeded my most sanguine expecta-
tions, and I shall carry with me, through the
years when big-game hunting has become an
impossibility, the memory of these two months'
hunting, which supplied me with an infinite
variety of sport, and yielded a bag which, for
this part of the world, is considered exceptionally
good.

Arriving in Singapore from Borneo about the

81 G

82 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

middle of November 1902, and after having
made purchases of provisions, etc., sufficient for
two months, I was able to sail almost im-
mediately by one of the small coasting steamers
which leave Singapore three or four times a
week for the ports of the Federated Malay
States on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula.
My destination was Port Dickson, the coast
town of the State of Negri Sembilan, where I
arrived on Sunday the i6th of November. On
this expedition I proposed to follow a route which
would take me across the Negri Sembilan into
Pahang, and to reach my base I had to proceed by
train from Port Dickson to Seremban, the capital
of Negri Sembilan, which is about twenty-five
miles inland, where I intended to halt for a few
days to make transport arrangements. At Port
Dickson I met my old tracker, who had been
with me from 1899 to 1901 when I lived in the
Negri Sembilan, and very glad I was to see him,
as he was a first-class hunter and would be
invaluable on such an expedition as I proposed.
(As I have referred to him at length in the
chapter on Malays as Sportsmen, it is only
necessary to recall that his name is Ahmat.)

I arrived at Seremban late on Sunday after-
noon, and drove out to Paroi, about five miles

From Singapore to Pertang 83

from Seremban, to stop with Mr. Cyril Ephraums,
a friend and fellow-sportsman, who had kindly
offered to put me up for the few days I intended
to pass at Seremban. My boy, a Javanese named
Mahmud, who had accompanied me when I
left the Federated Malay States to go to Borneo,
had remained on the steamer and had proceeded
to Port Swettenham to enable him to visit his
relations, who lived near Klang, a village in
Selangor. This boy had been with me for
nearly seven years, and, of all the native servants
I have had, he has been the only one that I have
ever been able to thoroughly trust, the rare
quality of faithfulness being seldom found in
servants of the Malay races. He was most use-
ful whenever I visited the jungle, was always
capable of doing all that I required, and as we
mutually understood each others' weaknesses, we
always got on well together.

It was no light matter to make arrangements for
a two months' shooting trip on the Malay States,
especially as I intended going into a part of the
country where I should be cut off from communi-
cation with villages where it would be possible
to obtain provisions (except rice). In addition to
this, transport was an important consideration,
as it is most difficult to get Malay carriers to

84 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

follow for any length of time when after big
game, and it is therefore essential to reduce
baggage to the lowest possible limit by taking
only just sufficient, and that in the most portable
form. I brought with me from Singapore what
I considered sufficient tinned provisions for two
months, packed in six boxes, each box con-
taining ten days' provisions. Rice I should be
able to obtain en route ^ and as I took no liquor
except two bottles of brandy, in case of accidents,
my provision-boxes could be transported by three
men, each of whom was able to carry two, the
load being about 45 lbs. The rest of my
goods consisted of three gun-cases, containing
one double-barrelled eight-bore and one single-
barrelled ten-bore rifle, and a twelve-bore shot-
gun ; one leather portmanteau, one air-tight
tin box, an American camp-bed, with chair to
match, and several waterproof-sheets, contain-
ing pillows, blankets, etc. The transport for
the men was inconsiderable, a change of clothes
being all they require, and this they generally
carry on their backs. To provision them I
supplied rice and salt-fish, but as I should be
able to obtain these commodities almost any-
where, I did not trouble myself on that score
at the commencement of the journey.

From Singapore to Pertang 85

On starting, Ephraums showed me a fine pair
of tusks, which I believe belonged to the elephant
whose prowess, combined with my own care-
lessness, nearly put an end to my shooting in
1898, as detailed above. He had shot this
elephant on the same island, and as I know that
there are very few tuskers there, and that, with
the exception of one other Englishman, nobody
but myself had hunted in the vicinity for many
years, I concluded that the bullet in one of these
tusks represented the shot I fired at the animal
when in the act of charging. The tusks are
fine ones, and weigh about 55 lbs. the pair ;
the damaged one is much deformed inside the
socket, but the ivory has grown round the
bullet, which, on shaking the tusk, can be*> dis-
tinctly heard inside — a very interesting trophy.

There are also some excellent seladang heads
in Ephraum's house, as well as the head of, I
think, the biggest rhinoceros shot in the Malay
States in recent years ; in fact the house is full
of trophies, and provides a good testimony to the
skill of my friend and to the excellence of the
hunting to be obtained in the jungles of the
Malay Peninsula. In this house I stopped
for three days, seeing many old friends, and on
the 19th of November, having completed my

86 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

arrangements, sent on Ahmat with my goods to
Kuala Klawang, the capital of the old State of
Jelebu, which is about twenty-eight miles by
cart-road from Parol, following myself the next
day by gharry (native pony-cart). As my boy
Mahmud had not yet returned from Klang, I left
word at Seremban for him to follow to Kuala
Klawang by the post bullock-cart, which makes
a daily journey between the two towns.

Jelebu lies on the east side of the main range
of mountains forming- a backbone to the Malay
Peninsula ; consequently all the streams in that
State flow to the great Pahang River, which
discharges into the China Sea. I had selected
Jelebu as. my starting-place, as it was a com-
paratively easy matter to reach a point on the
Triang River, a tributary of the Pahang, whence
I should be able to transport all my goods by
water, thus efi^ecting an enormous saving both
in money and trouble. There is a first-class
cart-road from Seremban to Kuala Klawang ;
while from the latter there is a road over which
an enterprising cart-driver can take his bullocks
for fifteen miles as far as Pertang ; and from
Pertang there is a bridle-path to Jerang, a
distance of nearly fifteen miles, where the first
easily navigable part of the Triang River is

I- I

88 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

reached. I had therefore only to do my transport
by coolie-labour from Pertang to Jerang — an
easy matter as I thought, but which, owing to
the heavy floods encountered, turned out any-
thing but simple.

All the country to Sungei Dua, the boundary
between the Negri Sembilan and Pahang, about
two miles below Jerang, was fairly well known
to me ; and I expected to come across game
anywhere between Pertang and the Pahang
boundary. There was, and still is, a herd of
about eight or nine elephants frequenting the
jungle between Pertang and Jerang ; and several
years ago when I was hunting this herd an
incident occurred which well illustrates the
difficulty of approaching game in these parts.
On that occasion, after a few hours' tracking, I
came close up to the herd, and although I was
nearly sure that there was no tusker with
them, the usual signs being absent, I wished to
make certain by actual observation. I knew '
there was a tusker associating with this herd,
and that he had been quite lately amongst
them, as I had seen his tusk-marks in the side
of the Pertang road ; and although not a very
big fellow, he probably carried thirty-pound
tusks. On approaching close to the cows.

From Singapore to Pertang 89

which were crowded together taking their mid-
day snooze, I easily counted five, when they
got my wind, and with a great commotion
and many trumpetings departed at full speed.
There remained behind at least two more, one
of which was a little calf, as the tracks had
clearly shown ; and presently, as I heard a
movement in the jungle in a direction quite
opposite to that taken by the frightened herd,
I walked in that direction to locate the sound,
ascertaining the exact direction of the wind
by striking a match, and approaching very
cautiously. The elephants were standing quite
still on ground a little below me, and thinking
that I could get a better view by making for
a fallen log, which I could indistinctly see a
few yards in front through the thick under-
growth, I crept up and got within six yards
of the log, when to my surprise and alarm the
supposed log became metamorphosed into the
*back of an elephant. The animal moved off a
little, and then commenced to emit that peculiar
rumble which appears to come from the inside
of elephants* stomachs, and may generally be
taken as a danger-signal. Instantly I saw just
behind this elephant a second, with a calf
under her belly, and as there was no tusker.

90 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

I realised that my hunt had ended, and quickly
withdrew. So well do the tints of elephants^
skins — tints caused by the manifold lights
which filter through the leafy canopy over-
head — blend with the patchwork of sunlight
and shadow always evident on a bright day
in the thickest jungle, that my mistake was
excusable, and one that the most experienced
hunter might easily make.

This herd of elephants was near Pertang
when I arrived, but as the tusker was again
away on other business, I did not go after
my old friends. I stayed a night at Kuala
Klawang, purchased rice, potatoes, onions, salt-
fish, matches, native tobacco, and soap, and
then sent on my completed commissariat to
Pertang by bullock-cart on the morning of the
2 1st of November. I had arranged to take
with me the Datoh Raja Kiah of Pertang, as
it was important that I should have two good
trackers in case of accident ; also for the reason
that the Datoh's knowledge of the greater part
of the country we were going through would
be of the greatest value. Here I may relate
that the Datoh Raja once told me a splendid
story of how he shot a celebrated rogue elephant
which was well known owing to a malforma-

From Singapore to Pertang 91

tion of one of its hind-feet. This elephant was
called by the. Malays Gajah Tengkis, mean-
ing the elephant with a deformed foot, and was
looked upon by the natives as an invulnerable
and more or less sacred animal, a state which
they describe as '' Kramat." To the credit of
the Datoh Raja it is recorded that he spent
the greater part of twelve months following
this elephant, and finally killed it in a big
swamp at the source of one of the many streams
flowing into the Pahang River, His inability
to kill the beast earlier in the hunt was due>
according to his own account, to the invulner-
able state of this sacred elephant ; but was of
course really attributable to his own bad shoot-
ing and inefficient weapons. Many a long
yarn have I had with him about this elephant :
how he fired at it eighty-seven times before it was
finally bagged ; how it charged his companion,
Penglima Besar Sohor, another well-known
Malay hunter ; and how nearly he was killed,
only escaping by a fortunate trip, which rolled
him under a log where the enraged elephant
could not get at him ; but the best story of
all was that of the final scene when the Datoh
ended the hunt.

About eighteen months previous to the date

92 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

• of my present story I was on a visit to the
Jelebu district, and going down to Pertang
found myself one evening seated on the floor
of the Datoh's verandah — he possessed no chairs
— intending to while away an hour or so before
dinner. The Datoh had lately been married, or,
I should say, remarried, as he had gone through
several previous experiences, and his young
wife had presented him with a boy, of which
he was very proud. The child was produced
for my edification — a poor little specimen, which
looked as if the possibility of his ever becoming
the fine sportsman his father had been must be
in the very dim future. The Datoh produced
another treasure he valued, I think, almost
as much as the baby, namely, a bullet which
had been fired at the Gajah Tengkis in the
earlier stages of his campaign. When he killed
the elephant he found this bullet in the hollow
part of one of its tusks, attached to the cavity
by a spike of ivory, with several other spikes
growing round the bullet, which had become
plated with ivory. This was considered a great
prize by the Malays ; and the Datoh solemnly
told me that the spikes were still growing —
possibly he thinks that he will have a full-
grown tusk attached to the bullet if he only

From Singapore to Pertang 93

lives long enough ! And to such an extent did '
he value this curio, that he invariably wrapped
it up in his belt, when he went on a journey,
as a charm against all ills. It was apropos of
this bullet that the Datoh told me the story of
the final scene in the life of Gajah Tengkis.

" I finally followed," he said, " the beast to
the Ulu Tasseh (the source of the Tasseh
River), Tuan ! it then being nearly twelve
months since I had first wounded him, near
Ulu Jerang. For miles I had followed him,
into Johor, into Pahang, backwards and for-
wards across the Triang River, across the
Sereting River more times than I can remember,
right up to the foot of Gunong Hitam (the
black mountain), to the Ulu Kenaboi, to all
the salt-licks that we knew in that district. I
thought that I should never get him, but
how could I leave such a beast having once
wounded him ? "

" Very true, Datoh," I ventured to say, " but
didn't his many wounds prevent him travelling
very fast ? Surely after you had fired bullet after
bullet into him they must have had some effect."

" Tuan, you forget that he was ' Kramat ' ;
my bullets, although wounding him severely

94 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

enough at the time, had no permanent effect,
and when I finally cut out his tusks he had no
bullet-wounds or scars anywhere."

I mildly coughed, and asked the Datoh to
proceed and tell me what happened to the
elephant at Ulu Tasseh, as I felt we were
getting into deep water, and I hoped to hear
something really startling ; and I was not dis-
appointed.

" Well, Tuan, you know where the Ulu
Tasseh is, and you also know that there is a
great swamp there which during wet weather
is impassable — in fact at all times it is a nasty
place to get into, and most of the bigger
animals avoid it altogether. But this beast, no
doubt driven to despair, found his way into
the middle of the swamp, where it was very
difficult to move about. Of course, Tuan," con-
tinued the Datoh, with charming indifference
to his previous statements about the bullet -
marks, " the elephant was much played-out
with his many wounds, and when once in the
swamp I was easily able to keep up with him.
For several days I followed him about in this
swamp, and a bad time we both had of it ;
the water was black, my stock of rice was
nearly exhausted, and my three companions

From Singapore to Pertang 95

were disgusted at the prolonged chase, and kept
reminding me that we should be without any
food at all if we stopped much longer at the
Ulu Tasseh. However, there is an end to every-
thing, Tuan, and at last the elephant ventured
into a part of the swamp where he sank up to
his belly in mud, and there died. I cut out
his tusks, and brought them home to Kuala
Klawang where I sold them, but I made no
profit out of the business, as I had been after
the elephant too long and the rice for myself
and followers had cost much ; it was a grand
hunt, however, and I shall always remember it
to the end of my days."

" That is a most excellent story, Datoh," I
said, " but I am not quite clear on one point,"
thinking that I could stump the old gentleman.
" You are an old and experienced hunter, you
say that in your young days you have killed
over a hundred rhinos, the like of which has
never been equalled by any hunter ih the
Malay Peninsula, the seladang and ^ elephants
that you have killed are numerous, — you, above
all men, must know that no animal can be
' Kramat,' no animal can be invulnerable."

"Tuan," said the Datoh, as he moved his
plug of tobacco and betel-nut, pushing it trucu-

96 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

lently under his upper lip, " this elephant which
I have been telling you about, the 'Gajah
Tengkis,' was most certainly ' Kramat.' "

" Very well, Datoh, I suppose, if you say so,
it must have been ' Kramat,' but it quite
passes my understanding how you managed to
kill this elephant, for surely you don't mean
to suggest that it was only invulnerable at
certain times ! "

There were several other Malays sitting
on the verandah, and at this query of mine
they moved uneasily, some laughing, some
spitting betel-juice, all expectant and somewhat
anxious as to the Datoh's answer, as I think even
to them my question appeared rather a puzzler.
The only person unmoved was the one to
whom I had addressed the question, and with-
out being in the least put out he prepared to
dispel my unbelief. Lifting up the rather dirty
grass-mat on which he was squatting, he care-
fully spat between the joints of the split
bamboo-floor, ran his hands several times over
his scaly face, and with some show of mild
surprise and pitying indiflference said :

" Tuan, you forget. I never said that I killed
this elephant ; I told you that he died and that
I got his tusks ; that I had a hand in his death

From Singapore to Pertang 97

I will readily admit, but that I killed him is
absurd ; was he not ' Kramat ' ? "

" Then what killed him, Datoh ? "

" Tuan, it was in this way. When he got into
the Tasseh swamp he was too exhausted to
move about much, and could not get away
from us, and for four or five days I was so
close to him, and was able to worry him to
such an extent that he had no time to eat, and
died of starvation."

A sigh of relief went round the crowded,
rather stuffy, verandah : in the Malays' eyes
at least the Datoh had proved his assertion as
to the elephant's invulnerableness ; but as for
myself — well, I knew the old Datoh. I quite
understood the little twinkle far back in the
darkness of his black eyes, and I knew that I
should have to wait my time to pay back his
score.

" It is time for me to take my evening meal,
Datoh," said I, as I rose from my cramped
position, scrambled down the rickety steps, and
with a " Salamat tinggal " ^ to the company in
general, wended my way back to the shed,
where I intended stopping the night.

^ A greeting given on parting company, by the person leaving to those
remaining.

CHAPTER II

FROM PERTANG TO PLANGAI, ON THE PAHANG

BORDER

I ARRIVED at Pertang much later than I had
expected ; the Triang River was in heavy flood,
and the road to Pertang, which for some dis-
tance follows the Triang Valley, was in many
places under water, making it extremely difficult
to drive without getting into the ditches.
Reaching the Pertang Police Station at half-past
six with my servant Mahmud, who had joined
me at Kuala Klawang, I found that my bullock-
cart with the commissariat had only just arrived,
having had much trouble with the flooded
roads. The Datoh Raja had been to the Station
to see me, but owing to the evening coming on,
and the road to his house being quite three feet
under water, had left for his home before my
arrival. I heard bad news at Pertang : the road
to Jerang was many feet under water ; the

Pertang River, a tributary of the Triang, was in

From Pertang to Plangai 99

high flood; and all traffic towards Jerang was
at present out of the question. I had no time
to do anything that evening, so decided to give
up all idea of attempting to proceed the next
day, as I had yet to obtain coolies to carry my

SuNCEi DuA ON THE Triang River.

During wel weather the house seen on the b»nlc would be standing in

naler two or three feet deep.

goods. I was up early the following morning,
but not early enough for the Datoh, whom I
found waiting outside the Police Station. I was
very glad to see the old gentleman. I had not
met him for over eighteen months, and was
pleased to find him well, and looking forward

loo Elephant and Seladang Hunting

with great delight to the trip. He confirmed
the bad news about the Jerang path, and said
that it was quite impossible to go on until the
flood went down, which might still take several
days. I decided, after a long conference, to break
my journey on the way to Jerang, at a place
called Kuala Marong, where there was an old
clearing which seladang occasionally frequented,
and near to which there was a salt-lick — a sure
find for game. There was an old camp of mine
along the Jerang path at Kuala Gentah, near
Kuala Marong, about seven miles from Pertang,
and with the exception of about a mile of the
road near Pertang, it was clear of water nearly
to this spot, the worst part of the road being
below Kuala Gentah.

The following day, the 23rd of November, I
was compelled to spend at Pertang, while the
Datoh Raja was beating up coolies — always a
tedious business ; but finally I arranged to take
six men, who would be able to transport all
my goods to Jerang by making two journeys.
This was the only feasible way, as it was
impossible to obtain any more men at Pertang,
and only through the Datoh 's influence did I
get even these six. There was nothing to do at
Pertang, all the paths round about were flooded.

From Pertang to Plangai loi

and one could not move any distance from the
Police Station without getting up to the knees
in water. I was very anxious to start my
hunting, and the two days that I was compelled
against my will to stop at Pertang hung very
heavily ; but I managed to put in a good many
hours yarning to my two trackers, the Datoh
and Ahmat, discussing our chances of success on
the coming trip.

On the morning of the 24th of November,
after spending nearly an hour apportioning the
loads to my six coolies, we left Pertang at eight
o'clock. The first mile of our walk was more
or less entirely through water, in the worst
places up to our waists. I was glad that I was
not one of the coolies carrying a heavy load, and
was thankful when we arrived at the end of the
water, where the road, following along the side
of a hill, quickly took us above flood-level.
With the exception of four or five places where
the bridges had been washed away, we managed
to arrive at Kuala Gentah without much incon-
venience. My old camp had long since fallen
down, but as soon as the coolies came in with
the goods, we started to put up a temporary
shelter. These camps, in which I spent the
greater part of the next two months, are worth a

1 02 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

passing notice. Many species of palms are to
be found in the- Malay jungles, the leaves of
which, when laid on as thatch, make an excellent
roof to a temporary house. The most suitable
for this purpose are the leaves of a stumpy palm,
somewhat similar to the fan-palm so commonly
seen in English conservatories, and called by the
Malays Daun Pal/as. All natives of the Malay
States are clever at putting up these shelters,
and in an hour or so a nice comfortable camp
can be erected by half a dozen men. This is a
great saving, as all the trouble of tents is entirely
done away with, thus considerably reducing the
cost of transport. I always take an American
camp-bed with me, which I put on the ground,
thus dispensing with a floor to the hut. It is
unwise to sleep actually on the ground in the
Malay jungles, and in event of the traveller
having only a mattress, he must invariably make
a raised platform to sleep on if he wishes to keep
free from illness.

On this occasion my men quickly started
cutting pallas- leaves and small posts for the
camp, and my boy (servant) soon had the kettle
boiling for tea, which was very welcome after
our walk.

As I had still two hours' daylight before me.

From Pertang to Plangai 103

I determined to go down with the Datoh to the
clearing at Kuala Marong, where I might
possibly come across seladang. Leaving Ahmat
to superintend the completion of the camp, I
accordingly started off down the bridle-track
towards Jerang, which we followed for about a
mile, then struck off to the right along a small
jungle-track leading into the aforesaid clearing,
which lay about four hundred yards from the
path.

Old' abandoned clearings, which are found
all over this part of the Malay Peninsula, are
generally the result of deserted Sakai Ladangs^
that is to say, places where Sakais, the aboriginal
tribes of the Peninsula, have at some time or
other cleared the virgin jungle for planting hill-
rice, bananas, Indian corn, or other easily-grown
vegetable products. These spots are generally
found buried in the jungle, and are nearly always
sure haunts of elephants and seladang. The two
clearings at Kuala Marong, however, were old
Malay clearings, where rice had been planted,
the fields having been irrigated from the river.
Clearings that have been irrigated seldom grow
jungle again even when entirely abandoned,
but generally produce grass, the commonest of
which is known in the vernacular as lalang.

I04 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

This lalang, as mentioned above, is a very
coarse grass, which when old often attains to a
length of six feet, in which state it is very
difficult to walk through. We arrived at the
clearing a little before five o'clock, and at once
came across seladangs* tracks about five days old.
There are two clearings, one on each side of the
Pertang River, and to reach the far one we had
to cross that and the Marong River, which enters
the Pertang at this point, the latter giving the
name to the clearing. Walking towards the
Pertang River, when near its banks we found
tracks, a day old, of a herd of at least six seladang,
with one big bull amongst them. All these
tracks led across the river, which was well over
its banks, and an old log, which I had used as a
bridge on a previous occasion, was at least two
feet under water. We had, however, to get
across, and as the river was in heavy flood, it
would have been a serious matter to have fallen
in, so we cut a couple of long poles and drove
them down close to the log until they were
fairly firm in the bed of the river, then fastened
them together with a long cross-piece, which
projected across the stream about thirty feet
and acted as a hand-rail. The Datoh went first,
being far more sure-footed with his bare feet

From Pertang to Plangai 105

than I was in my boots ; and getting him to
steady the loose end of the hand-rail, I crept
across, only to find that the opposite bank was
nearly three feet under water and the track quite
obliterated. Our goal was not far, however,
and we soon reached the edge of the Marong
River, but again to be disappointed, as the water
from the flooded Pertang had headed up the
smaller stream, and it was quite impossible to
cross it without felling a tree to make a bridge
— a proceeding quite out of the question, as
we had neither the time nor the implements to
carry out such a project.

Could anything have been more maddening ?
Here we were within a hundred yards or so of a
place where, according to every probability, we
should find seladang, with every chance of getting
a shot in the open. Seladang when undisturbed
(these beasts had not been hunted for years)
invariably go out into the clearings to feed by
4 or 5 P.M. at the latest. Undoubtedly the
game was there, and yet we had to return to
camp without getting a chance. It was not a
good beginning, but I had all my trip before me,
and this little reverse did not make me appreciate
less the excellent dinner my boy had ready for
me on my return to camp. I make it a rule.

io6 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

when in pursuit of big game, to break up camp
every morning at 4 a.m., and as I generally go to
bed at about eight o'clock, it is only a question
of moving the usual sleeping hours two hours
back. This plan enabled me to get a good

breakfast and be away before six o'clock, also
giving the men every opportunity of preparing
their food and eating their fill before the day's
work. There is nothing like having a good sub-
stantial meal in tbe early morning, as one is then
able to travel all day on a few sandwiches and a
flask of cold tea, which I always take to serve as

From Pertang to Plangai 107

lunch. Some men I know take cold rice, but I
find that I have to be extraordinarily hungry to
be able to eat such a meal ; abstinence for a
whole day being quite insufficient with me to
produce a longing for rice in this condition, I
always make my followers take rice with them>
and generally put a tin of some sort in my
cartridge-bag, in order that the unpleasantness ot
being " bushed," that is to say, sleeping a night
in the jungle without kit or supplies, may be
modified by having something to eat.

The following morning, I left my camp shortly
after six o'clock, and proceeding along the bridle-
path in the direction of Pertang for about a mile,
struck to the right to reach a salt-lick distant
about five miles towards the Triang River, the
Datoh Raja taking us along an old track with
which he was acquainted. Scarcely had we
covered half the distance, travelling some con-
siderable part of it through water, when the
Datoh complained that he had a bad pain in his
stomach, and wanted to rest for a little. He first
sat down, then lay down, then rolled on the
ground in the unpleasant agony of a severe pain
below his chest. This was a nuisance, as I had
no idea how long his sufferings were likely to
last, and every minute's delay meant so much less

io8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

time at our disposal to follow up any new game-
tracks we might pick up at the salt-lick. At
last I luckily thought of my flask of tea, and as I
found that by taking oflF the felt covering I had
a very fair substitute for a hot bottle, the tea
being still fairly hot, I strapped this against the
Datoh's stomach, and was soon rewarded by his
recovery. We then pushed on to the salt-lick,
after a delay of over half an hour, and found on
arrival that a solitary bull seladang had visited
the place that morning and had only just left.
The Datoh would have it that it was the spirit
guarding this particular seladang which had sent
him the stomach-ache, otherwise we should have
probably found the beast in the salt-lick. These
salt-licks are very peculiar. I have seen many
of them when after big game, and they have all
much the same appearance. Salt-lick is indeed
hardly the proper term to use when describing
these places, but I use it as the nearest equivalent
of the Malay sesap^ which means a place where
wild animals go to eat the soil ; and if I refer to
them as sesap in the sequel, as I have done in an
earlier chapter, I trust the reader will forgive me
for using, perhaps too frequently, words of the
vernacular. The one that we had come to is
known as Sesap Jemilan — the latter word being

From Pertang to Plangai 109

the name of a river which runs close by, and is
continually visited by elephants and seladang. I
have never come across tracks of tigers at any of
these sesaps ; but considering that all kinds of
deer are constant frequenters of these spots, one
ought to find them, for, even if tigers do not eat
the earth the other animals go to seek, they
frequently eat the other animals ! I have never
been able to explain the absence of the tracks of
carnivora at these places, and always look upon it
as one of the many mysteries we are unable to
solve. What memories the word sesap recalls !
Pictures pass before my vision of many of these
astonishing places, hidden away in the depths of
the primeval forest, the haunts of all descriptions
of game (excepting only carnivora), whose tracks^
leading in by numerous paths, converge into a
common centre, where the potash-impregnated
earth has been churned up into a reddish greeny
mud by the gambols of these mighty denizens of
the jungle. Here you may often find the huge
track of the rogue elephant, who, sinking up to
his knees, leaves great rifts in the mud in his
efforts to extricate himself — rifts not altogether
obliterated as the mud hardens and dries. The
sportsman will, however, look for more than the
footprints, and will search for the traces left by

1 1 o Elephant and Seladang Hunting

his tusks, which assuredly he must have polished
on one or other of the numerous ant-hills always
to be found in the vicinity, if not actually in the
middle, of the sesap itself. Sure enough, the
wished-for traces are soon found by the eager eye
of the hunter or his tracker : first the impression
made by the side-thrust of the head ; then the un-
mistakable cavities — the tell-tale mark of a big
pair of tusks which have been driven into the
yielding earth by a vicious dig of the lord of the
forest. Such sights always rejoice the heart of
the sportsman, and even when the salt-lick has
been unvisited for some days, and the spoor is too
old to be followed, a visit to a sesap is always
impressive and interesting. I feel indeed when
in a sesap that it is almost impossible to speak
above a whisper, one seems so close to the heart
of nature.

The jungle in the vicinity of a sesap is never
very thick, as the constant presence of game
prevents the undergrowth from attaining any
great dimensions, and in the actual place it-
self, as the illustration shows, all vegetation
except the largest trees entirely disappears. I
have not the slightest doubt that the mud the
animals eat at these spots acts on them as an
aperient, as I have often followed seladang that

112 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

have lately visited a sesap, and have invariably
found their droppings very liquid — in fact almost
pure mud. It has a similar effect on elephants,
but not to the same extent ; and I have been
cognisant of the fact that there was a sesap in
the district in which I have been hunting —
although no such place was known to the
natives — by the condition of the dung of the
elephants I have been following.

Unfortunately Sesap Jemilan is too well
known to the Malays to be left alone, and
although nowadays they seldom attempt to
shoot big game, they often use other methods
for their destruction. At this particular sesap,
for example, I found several traps, set for the
purpose of killing elephants ; but these almost
invariably fail in their object, merely sending
the animal away with a terrible wound, which
may possibly result in a painful and lingering
death in a remote corner of the jungle. These
traps, which are called penururiy consist of a
combination of a fence and a suspended spear.
A rough fence of jungle saplings tied together
with rattan is built from one game-track to
another, close to the salt-lick, leaving an open-
ing about six feet wide, so as not to obstruct
the game-path. Across this opening a rattan is

From Pertang to Plangai 113

stretched, generally about seven feet from the
ground, which comes into contact with an
elephant's back should he follow one of these
paths when visiting the salt-lick. So long as
there is no game-path left unguarded, and all
the intermediate spaces are fenced, any animal
that stands much over six feet going into the
sesap must spring one of these traps. Fortunately
for the elephants, the native who attempts to
destroy game in this way, be he Malay or Sakai,
almost invariably becomes tired of his work long
before he has set a trap over every game-path, —
there are often as many as eight or nine distinct
paths, — and will leave possibly half of them un-
touched, hoping that luck will make up for his
indolence. I need scarcely say that this seldom
happens. The cross-rattan is connected with
a trigger similar to the ordinary arrangement
set in a brick-trap to catch small birds ; the
trigger in its turn being connected to a vertical
rattan running up to a height of thirty-five
feet or more, and attached over a branch of a
tree to a heavy piece of wood some twelve or
fifteen feet long, and eight or nine inches in
diameter, with a piece of burnt hardened wood
fixed into the end to act as a spike. This instru-
ment falls directly the horizontal rattan is sprung.

114 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

and should this operation be performed by the
top of an elephant's head or by the ridge of his
back, the unfortunate beast will receive the
spear in his body. Theoretically the , wooden
spear descends, severs the vertebrae, and after
a few kicks the beast is no more ; in actual
practice it generally misses the vertebrae, gives
a nasty wound in the back, when the spike
breaks off, leaving a piece of wood many inches
in the flesh to be expelled by nature's process
of festering, supposing that the wound is not
severe enough to cause subsequent death. The
natives do not appear to poison the penurun
spears, and seldom trouble to follow an animal
which has involuntarily taken away a part ot
the machine in his back. Of the three elephants
which I shot on this trip, two had marks of
these spears on their backs, and in both cases
the implement had missed the vertebrae by
many inches. It would be obvious to any one
but a Malay that the animals would not always
walk exactly in the middle of the path, but
then it must be remembered that the sufferings
produced by dozens of unsuccessful penurun-
wounds are not taken into account. All the
traps we found in this sesap we destroyed ;
there were three unsprung and two or three

From Pertang to Plangai 115

sprung, but the latter had done no harm, as we
found the spikes in the ground. These instru-
ments of death will become things of the past
as soon as it is impossible for a native to bring
in elephant's tusks, sell them in a town, and
inform the Government collector that he found
the elephant dead in the jungle ; and I am
glad to say that there is a tendency to greater
strictness on points of this sort than there was
a few years ago. How many elephants are
ever found dead from natural causes ? The cases
are so few that such stories should be entirely
discredited. All tusks should be confiscated if
not properly accounted for, and then the Malays
would set penuruns no more.

To return to the seladang with the con-
venient guardian angel, it must suffice to say
that we followed him right across country to the
Triang River, which he had crossed, where we
gave up the chase as it was getting very late, and
made our way back to camp, where we arrived
at six o'clock.

Solitary seladang often travel for miles even
whep quite undisturbed, and one then stands
very little chance of catching them up ; this
individual belonged to that class.

In camp that night we discussed the best

6 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

action for the morrow. As I was compelled to
stop at ' least another day at Kuala Gentah — my
goods, which had all arrived that evening, would
take two days to get to Jerang — we decided to
send half the things on the following day, and
go ourselves to the Marong clearing, when, by
felling a tree high up the river, we should be able
to approach without causing much disturbance.

The next morning the Datoh, Ahmat, and
myself, with one coolie, left camp at six o'clock ;
the coolies, with half the luggage for Jerang,
leaving about the same time. The flood had
gone down a little, although the previous evening
three Malays on their way to Pertang told us
that the road was still badly flooded, and that the
big bridge over the Triang was " kanted," and
might at any time be carried away — a poor
look-out for us. We had left our camp scarcely
five minutes when I came across a fresh track of
a solitary seladang which had crossed the path
from the direction of Marong and appeared to
be going towards the Triang. This was a good
stroke of luck, as the spoor was only an hour or
so old and we had all day before us — in fact the
track was such that we stood a fair chance of
coming up to the animal at any time. Con-
sequently we followed cautiously, and, as so

From Pertang to Plangai 117

often happens with a solitary seladang, we did
not come up with him for hours. A solitary
bull is, indeed, generally very difficult to over-
take, owing to the fact that, with the exception
of feeding, he carries on precisely the same
antics when he wishes to travel without stopping
as he does when he intends to loiter and lie
down ; and one is often cautious — which means
going very slowly — when cautiousness results in
the game getting farther and farther away.
This animal gave us a great deal of trouble in
that way, continually altering his direction,
sometimes going round in a half-circle, occasion-
ally doubling back, but after several hours of
constant expectation we came up to him just
when least expected. He finally made for
Sesap Jemilan, and when nearly there I foolishly
jumped to the conclusion that we should find
him in the sesap itself. Accordingly, half-
turning round to Ahmat, who was just behind
me, I whispered that it would be better to leave
the tracks and follow the game-path straight
into the sesap. Scarcely had I said this, when
there was a snort not twenty yards in front, and
away went the seladang without giving a chance
of a shot. I could, however, see enough of him
to realise that he was a very big animal, and as

1 1 8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

he rushed off through the jungle, everything
smaller than a six-inch sapling fell before him.
I have indeed seen a big seladang in his first
rush snap a creeper as thick as a strong man's
w^rist — a creeper with which twenty men could
easily play tug-of-war. After four hours' in-
cessant tracking and stalking, I had relaxed my
vigilance for a moment and had lost my chance.
As we still had a good four hours we could
devote to the pursuit, we wasted no time in
picking up the tracks, which showed that for
the first mile the seladang had gone at full
speed, when, no doubt thinking he had thrown
off his pursuers, he changed his gallop into a
smart walk. After about two hours we found
that we were getting close to the Triang River,
and soon saw ahead of us a thinning in the
trees, which the Datoh announced must be Pasir
Panggil, an old Sakai clearing abandoned the
previous year. As we knew the seladang would
find good feeding and good cover among the
small undergrowth, on entering the clearing we
redoubled our caution, feeling that we were
nearly sure to find our quarry in the vicinity.
Ahmat had been tracking up to this time, but I
now told the Datoh to go in front as he knew
the spot well, and his knowledge as to where

From Pertang to Plangai 119

the open patches were might be invaluable.
The tracks took us into some almost im-
penetrable undergrowth, where we could dis-
tinctly smell a bovine scent, but as we had to
crawl on our hands and knees, we stood little
chance of being able to do any shooting.
Suddenly the Datoh stopped and pointed to a
spot just ahead, where a seladang had been lying
down ; and on examination this ground proved
to be quite warm, showing that the game had
only just left. I ^now took up the tracking
myself, with Ahmat just behind with my second
gun. Scarcely had we gone ten yards when we
heard the beast in front moving through the
bushes, where the undergrowth had thinned out
a bit, although still too thick for us to see any-
thing of the seladang. To my disgust, I now
noticed the track of a much smaller seladang,
and at once realised that the bull had entered
the herd known to frequent Pasir Panggil. I
could, however, distinctly hear some animal just
in front of me, but as fast as I got round one
clump of bushes he got round another ; and
every moment's delay was against me, as having
no longer only one animal to deal with, I did
not know where the others might be, and the
chance of getting on to the wrong one was very

I20 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

great. At last I saw a form through the bushes,
but before I could see enough to distinguish the
head from the tail, another seladang to my left,
that I had neither seen nor heard, got my wind
and bolted. The one in front of course dis-
appeared instantly, and I heard the noise of
another, possibly two, still further ahead. Start-
ing after these seladang, I again put them up: —
they had stopped after going about a hundred
yards ; but the jungle was too thick to see any-
thing clearly enough for a shot. As it was now
half-past two, and we were a good four hours'
hard walking from camp, we at once retraced
our steps, and arrived home just at dusk.

This account furnishes a good instance of
what so often happens in hunting seladang in
the Malay jungle — in fact it is a good sample of
many and many a day that I have spent in their
pursuit, days unsuccessful in themselves, but full
of excitement and enjoyment to a keen sportsman.

We were all very tired when we got back to
camp, and turned in early. The coolies had
returned from Jerang, and said that they had
been compelled to make rafts in five or six
places to get the goods over the road, adding
that the flood was still very high, although it
appeared to be slightly falling. Unfortunately

From.Pertang to Plangai 121

there was more, rain that night, and the flood
again increased. As I had kept all my heavy
baggage to accompany me, this caused a great
deal of trouble. I could not wait longer at
Kuala Gentah because my coolies had only been
engaged for five days, being anxious to get
back to their homes at Pertang for the opening
day of the Mohammedan fasting month.

Getting away as early as we could the follow-
ing rnorning, we soon encountered the water.
About two miles down the bridle-path we came
across fresh tracks of four or five seladang ; but,
although I deliberated for some time, I decided
to push on to Jerang with my baggage, and make
that place my base for future operations against
the seladang at Pasir Panggil. These tracks
were undoubtedly made by the herd whose
spoor I had come across at Kuala Marong,
the bull being the one I followed the previous
day. I felt confident that they would go to Pasir
Panggil, and as the old clearing there was only a
short distance from Jerang, I hoped to try con-
clusions with them another day.

Although Jerang was only a little over seven
miles from Marong, our journey took us from
half-past seven in the morning till four o'clock
in the afternoon ; in five places we had to trans-

122 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

port our goods through water which flooded the
road to a depth of five or six feet, using the rude
rafts of eight- or nine-inch saplings my coolies
made the previous day. In one place we had a

Tke Trianc River, near Sungei Dua.
Taken during the dry seawn when the water is very low.

great deal of trouble, and were all up to our
waists in water for over two hours ; it was rain-
ing incessantly, and even in the tropics under
these circumstances one hecomes very cold.
Some of my men did not by any means enjoy
themselves, but I am glad to say that we finally
managed to get through to Jerang without any
mishap to person or goods.

From Pertang to Plangai 123

There is an old building at Jerang in which
I camped ; this, although abandoned for years
as a police station, being kept as a sort of
halting bungalow. It is situated in a most
delightful spot on the right bank of the Triang
River. A considerable amount of land was
cultivated near Jerang in years gone by^ and
the native homesteads are full of cocoa-nut and
fruit trees, making the place most picturesque.
When coming down from Marong, I met a
Malay from Jerang, who told me that up at
Durien Tipus, an old kampong in the Jerang
Valley, two elephants had been playing great
havoc for the last ten days, having eaten all the
plantains and knocked down a house. As he
thought I should be sure to find them, since
they had been there only two nights ago, I de-
cided to go to Durien Tipus the following day ;
but had first to make arrangements for coolies,
my Pertang men having completed their agree-
ment. Fortunately I managed to secure the
services of two men at Jerang, who agreed to
come with, me at least as far as the Pahang
River : one was Imam Prang Samah, the Datoh
Raja's brother ; the other an old man named Che
Rah, both Pahang Malays. The Bulan Puasa
(fasting month) was coming on, when it would

124 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

be very difficult to get men, and I therefore was
glad to secure these two. The Triang River
was very high — far higher than I had ever seen it
before — and the chances of being able to hunt
in the low country in the Triang Valley con-
sequently seemed most remote.

On arriving the following day at Durien
Tipus, I found the information from my Malay
friend altogether incorrect. Elephants certainly
had been there, but their tracks were over ten
days old, and we had a nasty walk, through mud
nearly all the time, for nothing. We accord-
ingly followed the Jerang River for a long way,
as the Datoh said that he had seen seladang-tracks
there some time ago, but we found nothing
fresh, and on that day drew a blank. Finally, I
decided to go for a three days' trip to Pasir
Panggil and Juntai, as seladang would be sure to
be at the latter place, if I could not pick them
up at the former ; so after some hunting about
I managed to enlist another coolie who agreed
to come to Juntai. To return for a moment to
the news I received about elephants being at
Durien Tipus, it may be mentioned that the
unfortunate habit Malays have of giving the
most inaccurate information is, I regret to say,
very common — in fact with regard to big game

From Pertang to Plangai 125

it is almost invariably the case. I have continu-
ally been told, on what appeared to be good
authority, that elephants or seladang had been
seen in a certain place, and on investigation found
nothing, or, at the best, tracks weeks instead
of days old. It is a most annoying defect in the
Malay character, as one continually wastes time
by acting on inaccurate information. The aver-
age Malay villager is an inveterate boaster, and
has no idea whatsoever of keeping within the
bounds of truth. I have heard, for instance, cir-
cumstantial accounts of how such and such a man
had seen with his own eyes an elephant with
tusks at least three feet outside the gum, destroy-
ing his garden ; how the beast would not go
away ; and how the whole matter only happened
a day or two ago. A hunt is organised, you
arrive at the place, and find that although
elephants had been there two or three weeks
ago, the Malay who concocted the story had
been away at the time, and consequently had
never seen the elephants, which the old tracks
prove to be those of a small herd of cows with
not a tusker among the party. Again, one may
receive general news concerning elephants or
seladang frequenting a certain place, from which
they refuse to move ; but on careful inquiry this

126 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

turns out to be quite false, a solitary elephant or
seladang, which may have passed through the
district months before, being the basis of the
story. In fact, Malays tell you just what they
think will sound well ; and the confidence with
which they prevaricate always reminds me of
the story of the Irish waiter at the small village
hotel.

" Ah ! good morning, Pat ; what can I have
for breakfast this morning ? " asked the traveller,
after having spent a somewhat uncomfortable
night in the only hotel in the village.

" Any mortal thing you like, your honour."
*' Well, get me a salmon steak to start with.'*
" Divil a bit of salmon is there in the house,
your honour."

'* Oh, no salmon ! Well, what fish have you

got ? "

" Divil a bit of fish is there to be had in the
village at all."

And after going through the same perform-
ance for several dishes, the traveller makes a
breakfast oflF the useful but somewhat plebeian
ham and eggs.

So it is with the Malay : on analysing his
" Plenty of seladang, Tuan," one generally fin-
ishes up with nothing larger than a mouse-deer !

From Pertang to Plangai 127

The following day I left Jerang with the
Datoh.and his brother, Ahmat, Mahmud my
servant, and one coolie, taking provisions for
three nights, which I thought ought to prove
ample for our present requirements. I left old
Che Rah at Jerang, to look after my other goods.
The Triang River had gone down a little during
the night, and with a new moon due in a day
or two, I hoped that we had come to the end of
the bad weather. As I had been to Juntai from
Jerang on a previous occasion, I knew that the
walk would take about five hours, and that there
would be ample time to go to the clearing,
which was a very big one, and sit out in the
evening on the chance of seladang coming to
feed. On our way we found the four days' old
track of a solitary elephant going towards Juntai,
where we hoped we might pick up fresh tracks,
this being undoubtedly one of the elephants that
had been at Durien Tipus. Arriving close to the
Juntai clearing about two o'clock, we started to
make a camp some little distance from the open
space ; there was a small stream running close by
which fell into the Triang, and when the camp
was nearly completed we noticed that this stream
had started to run the wrong way, and soon
began to creep towards the camp. The Datoh,

128 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

who knew this part of the country very well,
said there must be a big flood coming down the
Triang, which would swamp the clearing, and that
if we did not wish to spend the night up trees,
we had better get back to the hills as quickly as
we could. Accordingly, we at once commenced
to pack up our things, the water rising rapidly in
the meantime, and quickly retraced our steps to
a hill about a quarter of a mile to the rear. As
we had to wade through water in one place
nearly five feet deep, we had not packed up a
moment too soon. There was not much day-
light left, it being nearly five o'clock before we
could start recamping, but fortunately we found
a small patch of lalang where we had little clear-
ing to do, and quickly made ourselves fairly com-
fortable. I need scarcely say that I was not
feeling in the best of tempers, as our hunt at
Juntai was entirely spoilt, and we had to make
up our minds to return to Jerang on the morrow
— we could do no good by stopping where we
were.

That night we were most uncomfortable, as I
had left my mosquito-curtain behind, having
had to cut down transport to the lowest possible
limit, and, what with mosquitoes and sand-flies,
I got little sleep. The old Datoh had the

From Pertang to Plangai 129

best time, as he had carefully concealed an
old mosquito-curtain in his bundle, and slept
undisturbed.

The following day we returned to Jerang to
find that the Triang had risen some two or three
feet, the water being up to the floor-beams of
the police station, and thus higher, the Malays
said, than it had been since 1896.

During the next few days we were unable
to do anything, all the best places for seladang
near Jerang and Sungei Dua being u«der water ;
and as it was useless thinking of hunting in the
vicinity, I went to a place called T'Mugu, where
seladang were frequently to be found, but drew
blank. When all the low-lyihg land is flooded
the seladang travel far and do not remain long
in the same place, and at Jerang and Sungei Dua
they had been compelled to leave the clearings
which were all along the riverside and seek their
food in the big jungle, which makes it very
difficult to pick up their locality.

From the 2nd to the 6th of December I was
able to do scarcely anything. I went, how-
ever, to a place called S'Mie, where is a salt-
lick known as Sesap S'Merting, but, although
we came across old tracks, found nothing new
enough to follow. The flood seemed indeed

130 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

to have entirely disorganised the game, which
had deserted all their old haunts, and it was
difficult to know where to look for them. The
Sesap S'Merting is slightly different to the other
salt-licks in the Triang Valley ; the principal
attraction for the game being no doubt the
presence of sulphur in large quantities in the
stream which runs through. Although there
were plenty of tracks of deer, neither seladang nor
elephants had been near for weeks. Here again
we got inaccurate news of game, a Sakai coming
into our camp at S'Mei and stating that he
had met a herd of elephants that afternoon,
amongst them being three very big ones which
he had seen. We asked him several questions
about the elephants, and in answering them
among other things he remarked that one of
the tracks was so big that it measured Tiga
Tapak, that is to say, three of his own foot-
prints, in length. When we found on visiting
the scene of his supposed meeting with the
elephants, that the tracks were at least four days
old, and that there had been no large elephant
with the herd, we christened him Batin Tiga
Tapak, which name I have since heard has
stuck to him. Batin is the Sakai title for
chief of the tribe, this man was the Batin of

From Pertang to Plangai 131

the Sakais in that district ; the fact of being
a Batin did not make him any the less un-
truthful !

At last, after proving to my own satisfaction
that the chances of finding game near Jarang or
Sungei Dua were very small, I decided to leave by
boat on the 7th of December and go down the
Triang in search of new fields. Although the
river was still in high flood, and we knew that
we should have many difficulties to contend
against going down-stream, there was nothing
else to do, so we had to make the best of circum-
stances. I managed to hire a big boat from
the Datoh Dagang Lisut at Plangai, and I also
engaged two more coolies to act as boatmen,
thus enabling me to have four men in charge of
the boat exclusive of the Datoh, Ahmat, and
Mahmud. At the last moment we were unable
to get sufficient paddles, for although the Datoh
Dagang was good enough to let me have his
boat, he did not think it necessary to look for
paddles. So thoroughly like a Malay !

I was now getting a little bit down on my
luck. I had been nearly three weeks away, and
had only come up to seladang once ; everything
seemed to be against me ; and I could only keep
my spirits up by reminding myself of the un-

132 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

certain luck that always attends big-game shoot-
ing, and by hoping that my present bad luck
would be followed by a run of good fortune —
a hope that was more than amply fulfilled, as
the following chapters will show.

CHAPTER III

FROM PLANGAI TO PASIR KONDANG

Plangai should have been described in the

preceding chapter, as I moved my camp there

on the 3rd December, and had left most of my

goods at a small hut which the Datoh Dagang

had kindly put at my disposal during my

visit to S'Mie. Plangai is a small Malay village

of some seven or eight houses on the right bank

of the Triang in Pahang Territory, being just

over the boundary from Negri Sembilan. It has

lately become a little more important owing

to a French company opening a tin -mine

about ten miles up country from Plangai, using

Plangai as their "port," and bringing rice and

supplies up the Triang River to that point.

Just opposite Plangai on the left bank of the

Triang is a very large clearing of many hundreds

of acres, which during ordinary weather is a sure

find for seladang, but as the whole of this

^33

134 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

clearing was under water, the seladang had
retired to the hills.

We had arranged to leave Plangai about eight
in the morning, but, owing to many delays, actu-
ally started at one o'clock. I managed to buy
four old kajangs (a sort of coarse mat made of
the leaves of a plant called mem-quang) at twice
the price they ought to have been if new, to
make a roof to my boat, and as the Triang
River was fairly clear of overhanging branches
I expected to be able to keep this roof intact
till we reached the Pahang River. It is very
difficult on some of the Malay rivers to keep
the roof on one's boat, the trees and creepers
often reach right across the river, and at times
it is no easy matter to force one's way through.
Kajangs are frail things at the best of times,
although they are sufficient to keep off the sun
and rain, and soon get broken and torn by the
thorns with which the Malay jungles abound.
Just as we were leaving, the Datoh Dagang
warned us against a spot some few hundred
yards down the river where the previous week
a boat full of rice had been lost. There is a
nasty bend of the river at that point, and, to
make matters worse, a large tree had fallen
across the river, so it was not an easy corner to

136 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

negotiate. We pushed off with Che Rah
acting as " 'luan/' that is to say, the man in the
bows who uses a pole to arrest the progress of
the boat as it takes the corners, or when any

obstruction occurs, and also to punt the boat
along when all is clear. The two coolies I had
engaged at Plangai sat in the bows paddling,
and Imam Prang Samah in the stern, in charge
of the helm, with a pole as well to guard against
accidents. Soon the cry of " Jaga 'luan ! " (" Look
out, bow ! ") from Prang Samah became more and
more frequent as we swung round the bends of
the flooded Triang, and on several occasions we
had narrow escapes of being swept under the
overhanging trees and creepers fringing the
banks on both sides. 'We managed to success-
fully clear the fatal spot where the rice had been
lost, and soon found ourselves near Kuala Poh,
where there was an old clearing which the
Datoh thought would be above flood-level, and
might contain seladang-tracks. It was no light
task going down this river, as in many cases the
bottom could not be reached with our poles,
when we had to rely entirely on the paddles
to control the boat. The river was running
quite six knots an hour, and I often had my
heart in my mouth as we just cleared the

From Plangai to Pasir JCondang 137

corners. We stopped at Kuala Poh and visited
the clearing, the greater part of which was under
water, but found no new tracks. About four
o'clock we came to a spot on the left bank
of the river called Batang Pasir Neran, close to
several clearings which the Datoh Raja had
visited some years before with an Englishman,
whom he had accompanied to hunt seladang.
At that time he came across a number of
seladang, but stated the " Tuan " he was with
had been unlucky, and not shot anything.

Halting, we selected a likely-looking place
on the bank well above flood-level, and pitched
camp. As there was no open ground, we made
our shelter in the big jungle, just clearing away
a little of the undergrowth. In selecting a spot
for a camp in virgin forest one has to be very
careful to avoid stopping near dead trees, with
which the Malay jungles abound, as their
branches have an unpleasant way of falling off
during the night, and the results, if the camp
were adjacent, would be disastrous. Finding a
game-path close to the bank of the river, I followed
some way along this track while my men were
getting the goods out of the boat ; but I saw no
new traces of game, and eventually the path led
into one of the backwaters [dernau of the Malays)

138 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

with which the Triang abounds. These dernaus
are a great nuisance, and make following the
game very difficult, for during flood-time they
are often many feet deep, and to cross them gives
much trouble in making bridges and rafts —
delays anything but congenial when after swiftly-
moving game. On returning to camp, after a
cup of tea, I followed the game-path in the
other direction (up-stream) with my trackers ;
and we soon came to an open space, the fringe
of an old clearing, and were rewarded by finding
seladang-tracks about four days old. As these
were the first game-tracks with any pretensions
to being new we had seen for some time, the
sight gladdened our hearts. We followed up
the clue, which led into an old clearing honey-
combed with elephant- and seladang-tracks ; but
as the grass was very old and rank, there was
no inducement for seladang to remain, and we
found no newer tracks than the ones originally
struck.

After our return to our camp we discussed
our movements for the morrow ; the Datoh say-
ing that the clearings he had visited before were
down-stream, and that by following a game-path
which he knew lay a little back from the river,
he thought we could find our way to the spot

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 139

he had in his mind, although he did not seem
very certain. Anyway I knew by experience
that any of the main seladang-tracks would lead
us either to a clearing or a salt-lick, so we
decided to devote the whole of the following
day to hunting for tracks in the vicinity of our
camp.

The following day, the 8th December, Datoh
Raja, Ahmat, two coolies, and myself left our
camp at half-past six and went down-river to
look for the promised clearings. Crossing the
backwater at the back of the camp higher up
than the game-path, we were fortunately not
delayed, as the water was little over our knees.
It is extremely uncomfortable, to say the least
of it, to start off in the early morning and at
once plunge into cold water, knowing that for
the rest of the day you have got to go about in
soaking wet clothes, since so long as one is in
big jungle under the shade of the trees, there is
little chance of getting dry. I had more than
enough of wading on this trip, and thought
myself lucky indeed if a day went by when I
avoided being wet up to the middle. We soon
found a main game-track, which showed by its
well-defined appearance that it was frequently
used by big game, but at first we saw no new

140 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

spoor. Continuing down stream, we came across
the track, about four or five days old, of a solitary
bull seladang, which followed the game-path for
some distance, eventually leading us into an old
clearing. Here again the rank grass was very
old, and afforded no tempting food for game of
any sort ; and as the Datoh stated that this
was not the place he wanted to find, which
he thought lay farther inland, we retraced our
steps. After casting about for some time — and '
finding many traces of game — we decided to
return towards camp and try following up-
stream, as the tracks we had seen in the clear-
ing the previous evening were those of a herd
which had not gone in the other direction, since
otherwise we must have found the tracks on
some of the numerous paths we had taken. Con-
tinuing on the game-path, which was now a very
well-defined, hard-beaten track quite eighteen
inches wide, we soon struck the spoor of a solitary
seladang going up-stream. At eleven o'clock,
while still following the game-path, we came
across fresh tracks of a large herd of seladang,
which had first crossed and then followed along
the game-track. This herd must have contained
at least fifteen animals and was, I am inclined to
think, in two parties ; the first lot probably passed

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 141

some time before the last, as we were quite close
to them by eleven o'clock, although we did not
come up to them till half-past two. We un-
doubtedly followed those which had passed first ;
and as there were the tracks of two big bulls in
the herd, we selected this spoor, Ahmat and I
proceeding ahead alone, as we expected- to come
up to them at any moment.

As the seladang had scattered a good deal, we
had to track very slowly to keep on the line of
the big bulls. The jungle being very thick, I
took off my hat and threw it on to the ground,
motioning to Datoh Raja, who was a few yards
behind, to bring it along ; and at that moment
— as the Datoh afterwards told me — he saw
quite distinctly some distance to our left a small
seladang, but was not close enough to me to
communicate.

Apart from this, we did not come up to the
seladang for nearly three hours, the herd feeding
very little and travelling fairly quickly. This
herd was probably the one from the Plangai
clearing, for in following them we took a line
through the big jungle at the back of the
clearings along the Triang River, and came
across numbers of old tracks. When seladang
are unable to find open land on which to graze

142 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

they feed entirely on the shoots of shrubs, the
young leaves of the many palms that abound in
the jungle, and the coarse reeds they find in
the swamps lying between the hills, where the
big trees of the virgin jungle are replaced by
smaller growth. We followed our quarry till
two o'clock, when we began to realise that the
day was far spent and little time left to get back
to camp that night ; but I decided to devote
another half-hour to tracking, as we knew we
were very close to the beasts, having on several
occasions been able to smell them distinctly. At
about a quarter-past two we heard in front of us
a slight crackling of branches, and approaching
carefully could make out the hind-quarters and
swishing tail of a seladang. I was in luck's way
this day, as the animal had just emerged into a
small open spot in the jungle, cleared by the
destruction by wind of two or three big trees,
whose roots, insecurely fastened to the friable
soil of the hillside, had finally been unable to
support their great weight. The trees had fallen
down-hill, carrying with them a good many
small trees and saplings. Approaching close
to the edge of this clearing, I could distinctly
see below me three seladang, but as they were
all turned away, I was unable to make out the

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 143

bulls. In front, on the side of the hill, I could
indistinctly make out a cow and a smaller
animal, probably a calf, lying down, just inside
the big jungle. Ahmat was anxious for me to
shoot at one of the seladang below me, but I
could see no vital spot available ; and after
watching for perhaps a minute, or less, one of the
three moved, and walked along the edge of the
hill away from my position. I at once saw that
this was a fine bull, the sweep of his horns and
the enormous thickening of the flesh at the back
of the neck being quite unmistakable. The only
possible chance from my position was by aiming
at the back of his head between the horns, and as
I was not anxious to try such a difficult shot, I
crawled down-hill and made for a big tree, from
which I hoped to be able to get a good side-shot.
Again my luck was good, as I found on arriving
at the foot of this tree that I could see across the
clearing, a distance of about thirty-five yards,
where the big bull was making his way along the
edge of the hill, and that in another instant he
would afford me a perfect broadside shot. The
unsuspecting animal moved slowly along to his
fate, and I was able to give him a ball which
passed through both lungs. At the sound of the
shot the other seladang bolted up-hill, on the top

144 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

of which they remained for some time. The
stricken animal after many violent plunges
settled down to die, and its death-moan was a
signal for Ahmat and myself to approach close
enough to make it possible for Ahmat to cut its
throat, a proceeding which made the meat avail-
able for the rest of my party. This seladang
had finally taken up his position close against
a fair-sized tree with his legs tucked up under
him, making it almost impossible, except at
great labour, to stretch him out in order to take
accurate measurements of the body. He was a
remarkably thick-set, powerful animal, but not
very high at the shoulder, and only carried a
moderate head. The frontal ridge of the skull
was almost lacking, the bone between the horns
being nearly straight, a characteristic of the
Triang animals, none of which, so far as I have
seen, carry such fine heads as the Sereting herds.
The horns, however, were thick, measuring 19
inches in circumference at the base.

Shortly after, the Datoh Raja and the two
coolies came up and contemplated with delight
the carcase, with its throat cut, as this meant
plenty of food, and of the sort they liked. As
we had only just time to get back to camp
before dark, after taking away a little of the

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 145

meat we retraced our steps, and finally got
home well after six, very tired, but fully satis-
fied. At last my luck had changed, and at any
rate I should not have to return empty-handed,
even if I got nothing else !

The Datoh Raja had been religiously burn-
ing a species of incense called by the Malays
kemnyen^ the smoke of which conveyed to the
Datoh, so he said, the fortunes of the morrow.
Nearly every evening he had been burning this
kemnyen, but with indifferent success, until the
evening before I killed the seladang. Unfortu-
nately, the Datoh quite forgot to tell us how
successfully the sinoke had wreathed and formed
shapes of dead seladang, until after we returned
to camp with the meat. Then and only then
did he unfold to us how faithfully the kemnyen
of the night before had spoken ! Had he been
a stranger I might not have believed him, and
I am afraid Ahmat was a little sceptical, his
remarks on the Datoh's magic being anything
but complimentary. We had, however, a good
deal of amusement out of the old Datoh with
his kemnyen, and as he managed to make his
little stock last till nearly the end of the trip, he
firmly believed that his continual performance
of magical rites brought my game.

146 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

The men left in camp were very pleased with
pur luck, and we decided to go back the follow-
ing day with all hands to the carcase, to bring
in the trophies and as much meat as possible.
The river was going down now, and we hoped for

Sakais Fishing.

fine weather ; as my luck had changed with the
beasts, perhaps it would change with the elements.
On our way the following morning, while
following a path close to the scene of the death,
we came across quite fresh tracks of a herd of
elephants, which on reaching the game-path had
followed that line. The tracks were still damp,

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 147

showing that the elephants had only just passed ;
but there was no big animal with them, and only
two or three tracks of respectable size. Ah mat
and I, who were in front, halted on coming across
these tracks, and waited for the men behind to
come up. While doing* so, we heard in the
jungle to our left, not a hundred yards away, the
unmistakable noise of an elephant. When our
men arrived, I explained that I intended going
towards the direction of the elephants, to have a
look at the herd and see if there was anything
worth shooting, and told them to remain quite
quiet until I returned.

The Datoh, Ahmat, and myself, followed the
tracks and soon came to the elephants, which
were in fairly open jungle, so that we had no
difficulty in getting close up to them ; in fact we
got into the middle of the herd. There were a
cow and her calf to our left, engaged in pulling
down rattan, and gorging themselves to their
hearts' content ; there were two cows and a calf
to our right, moving very leisurely through the
jungle, and one elephant in front, of which we
could only get a back view. We approached
the latter animal, and as he turned his head in
search of food, saw that he was a small tusker,
with tusks about a foot out of the gum, but very

148 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

thin. As I did not wish to disturb the herd, we
retired and returned to our men, having been
absent about a quarter of an hour. In thus find-
ing plenty of game, our spirits, which had been
very much damped by weeks of rain, were
beginning to revive. *

On our return to camp that evening with the
trophies and meat, we were put to some incon
venience by the old Datoh insisting on bringing
back with him the liver and heart, which were
decidedly *' high," meat going bad very quickly
in the tropics. I was anxious to see what he
would do with them, as I anticipated a repetition
of his stomach-ache if he attempted to eat such
food, and possibly my tea-bottle might not be so
efficient next time. I took away the skull, one
foot, and the tail as trophies ; and as we had
seven men to carry home the spoil, including .
Ahmat and the Datoh, we managed to get a con-
siderable amount of meat back to camp.

Malays are very fond of dried meat, which
they cut up into small pieces and mix with their
curry, and my men were soon busy preparing
places for drying the present supply. A rough
framework is first formed with green saplings three
or four inches thick, across which laths an inch or
so in diameter are tied about the same distance

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 149

apart. The meat being then cut into strips is
laid on this grid, and a big fire made Underneath.
As there are always quantities of dead wood to be
found in the jungle, even in wet weather with
a little perseverance a good fire can be made.
The fire when once lighted is kept burning more
or less all night according to the wakefulness of
the Malays, and in the morning the meat is dry
enough to be packed for transport, when it will
keep, if properly dried, for several weeks. On
this occasion we made two grids, and soon had
big fires well under way. The Datoh was very
careful about the heart and liver, and commenced
drying some of it in the fire, by skewering
several pieces through with a sharp piece of
wood, putting the other end of the wood in the
ground, and forcing the meat well into the
flames. The rest he treated with salt, and then,
to my horror, commenced to eat some that was
half- cooked and quite green ! Imam Prang,
Samah, and Che Rah also helped themselves to
tasty morsels, and, of course, were all ill the
following day. I wished at the time that the
Datoh would invoke his magic towards sending
him a little common sense, as green elephant-
liver can scarcely be expected to agree even with
the most hardened digestion.

150 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

Seladang meat is very hard unless most care-
fully cooked ; and the only part I am personally
fond of is the tongue, which is most excellent-
My men made reed baskets in which they packed
the dried meat, and the following morning, with
a decreasing flood, we left our camp at seven
o'clock for a spot down-stream called Pasir
Pulus, where we intended to visit a very well-
known salt-lick called Sesap Kepong.

I forgot to mention that the last night we
spent at Batang, Pasir Neran was somewhat
disturbed by the herd of elephants we had come
across during the day, the members of which
had made their way down stream about midnight,
and were quite close to our camp. Probably from
our scent being uncongenial to them — or possibly
it was the Datoh's liver — they immediately com-
menced trumpeting and making other elephant
noises, which kept us all awake for some time ;
and they stayed close to camp till nearly daylight,
when, as their noises ceased, I concluded they
moved off. ^

On our arrival at Pasir Pulas about three
o'clock in the afternoon, we found the remains of
some old shelters on the bank of the river, which
had been used by Malays when collecting rattan,
and as they only required new roofs, we soon had

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 151

our camp ready. In the evening I tried spinning
for fish in a big pool just in front of our little
camp, but with no success. There is a fish in
the Malay rivers called Ikan Sabarau, which is a
cannibal of the worst kind, and at times will take
an artificial minnow very readily ; but with the
rivers always muddy from the continual floods, I
was most unsuccessful all through my trip with
the fishing. Shortly after five o'clock, while I
was still fishing, a large flock of crested wood-
quail, the siol of the Malays, flew across the river
and landed in the jungle close to the camp,
where they ran into the undergrowth and started
w^histling to each other. I at once got my shot-
gun — these birds are most excellent eating —
and followed them into the undergrowth. There
must have been over thirty in the flock, and as
they had scattered considerably, they were call-
ing to each other on all sides. As their call is a
little short whistle, very easily imitated, I soon
added my call to theirs. Once I put up a cock-
bird at my feet, and missed it most disgracefully,
but although I spent over half-an-hour in trying
to locate others, and make them take wing, I was
unsuccessful, the cunning little birds preferring
to remain in safety, scuttling along through the
coarse undergrowth.

152 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

The following morning, the loth December,
we left with a couple of coolies for the Sesap
Kepong, the Datoh showing the way. We
took about three hours getting there, but
although we came across elephant-tracks a few
days old, we found no seladang-tracks, and so
did no hunting. The Sesap Kepong is the
largest of its kind I have visited, and there is
quite half an acre of cleared land in the
centre of the big jungle constituting the salt-
lick ; big trees having been entirely uprooted
and thrown over by the animals in clearing
their way to the edible soil below. We found
the skeleton of a small bull elephant just out-
side the sesap, but the tusks were gone. How
this elephant had met its death I do not know ;
it had certainly not been shot at the salt-lick,
as if so its skull would have been damaged by
the process of cutting out the tusks. Probably
it had come to die, and its tusks after having
been forced from the skull by decomposition
may have been carried off by rattan-hunters.

That evening, when in camp at Pasir Pulas,
we decided to continue ourjourney down stream on
the morrow and visit a place known to the Datoh,
where there was a small settlement of Malays,
who we hoped would give us news of game.

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 153

Sure enough when we arrived about mid-day
at Kuala Tuang we were greeted with the good
news that a big solitary elephant was reported
to have visited a Sakai clearing some three or
four hours' journey up-country ; and that if we
continued our journey down -stream for about
a quarter of an hour we should come to a
Malay kampong called Pasir Kondang, from
which a track struck up country to the clearing
we wanted. There is an old track crossing the
Triang at Kuala Tuang, which is the old
Malay path from Jelebu into Semantan (a
district of Pahang), and is principally used
for bringing down buffaloes from Pahang into
Jelebu, and hence known as the Dernai Kerbau
(buffalo-track). For part of its length it runs
at the back of the big clearings at Plangai.
I mention this now because subsequently this
dernai - kerbau was used to some extent in
following up the big elephant found when we
camped at Pasir Kondang.

Pasir Kondang we found to be a miserable
collection of three or four very indifferently
built Malay huts, and as the people confirmed
our previous news we decided to camp, and
tied up our boat. I closely questioned an old
Malay who appeared to be the chief man in

154 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

the little village, who told me that four days
previously some Sakais had come down from
their jungle retreat, where they stated a big
elephant had done a good deal of damage.
They also reported that the animal had been
frightened away by their dogs and the fires they
themselves lit, but they were afraid he had not
gone far away, as he had only visited their
new crops once ; and as he always molested
them at this time of year, he would be sure to
return. The Datoh had previously told me of
a big elephant well known in this district, which
he had been asked to go after several times^
but had never had the opportunity. He now
thought that if these stories were true, this
beast must be the one of which he had
previously heard, and if so, we ought to do
our best to get him, as from all accounts he
was a big beast with very long tusks. Having
been so often taken in, I was not, however, at
all optimistic concerning the story, but never-
theless decided to give the district a good trial.
The clearing we were bound for is known as
Ladang Fatah Gading, which being interpreted
means, '' the clearing of the broken tusk " ;
the reason for this name being as follows.
The Sakais had once decided to clear a space

From Plangai to Pasir Kondang 155

for the year's crop of rice close to a small stream
on the banks of which there was a disused
sesap, in which many years ago an old Sakai
had found a piece of broken tusk, and accord-
ingly named the river " Sungei Patah Gading.'*
When the present generation of Sakais decided
to make a clearing there, they accordingly
named it after the river. As I hoped to be able
to get some Sakais at this clearing to accom-
pany me if I hunted in the vicinity, I decided
to use Pasir Kondang as my base, and go up-
country on the morrow with two or three
days' provision in search of the elephant. This
same day one of the Pasir Kondang Malays
told me that every evening two wild pea-fowl,
a cock and a hen, came down to feed in their
rice-fields, and that I should probably be able
to get a shoot at them if I went out in the
evening ; and at that moment a Malay woman
came in from the fields saying that she had
just seen the pea-hen fly up into a big tree
that stood at the back of one of the houses. I
at once sought my gun, as roast pea-hen was
a dish not to be despised, and by carefully
stalking up to the tree was able to make out
the bird cautiously strutting along one of the
branches, very high up, but, as it proved, \vith-

156 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

in shot. In the evening I crossed the Triang
and visited a large swamp where teal were
reported, and was lucky in finding both teal
and snipe — getting a couple of the former and
three of the latter. I was glad of this change
of diet, as chicken and tinned foods were
getting a little monotonous ; and it was un-
fortunate that after carefully basting one of
the teal and keeping it to eat cold on the
morrow, the bird was stolen and eaten by a
dog belonging to the kampong. That night
I slept on shore, making a temporary shelter
with one of the kajangs off my boat and my
waterproof sheets. I trust I may never sleep
again in such a place for mosquitoes and sand-
flies — they were awful — and I was glad that I
was leaving for the interior in the morning.
Datoh Raja told me that the name of this
place used to be called "Tanjong Nyamok"
(Mosquito Cape), but that the name had been
altered owing to its keeping people from settling.
I wished for many reasons that the alteration
had not been made, as I might then have kept
away ; but, on the other hand, under those
circumstances I might possibly have lost my
elephant !

CHAPTER IV

AT PASIR KONDANG 1 WOUND A BIG TUSKER

On Saturday the 13th December I left Pasir
Kondang, with three days' provisions, for the
Ladang Patah Gading, engaging two Malays at
Pasir Kondang, who showed me the way and
helped to take my goods up-country, and leaving
one of my coolies, who was suffering from a nasty
gathering on his foot, at Pasir Kondang with the
boat and the rest of my stores. The journey to
the clearing took us about four hours — at least
it took the Datoh, Ahmat^ Mahmud, and myself
that time, but the men with the packs consider-
ably longer. About halfway we came to a small
clearing, where we met a Sakai, who gave us
further information about the rogue elephant,
and who accompanied us to Patah Gading.

When close to the clearing, we came across
old elephant-tracks, but they did not seem to be

those of a very large beast. Our friend the Sakai

157

158 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

explained that this elephant, which had passed
through some weeks before, was not the one
accused of damaging the padi, there being
two solitary elephants roaming about in the
vicinity of th^ clearings, one much bigger than
the other. As we approached our destination, we
came across the tracks of the elephant we were
in search of, and, according to his footprints,
he was a big fellow indeed ; and close to the
settlement, on the Sakai track we noticed the
spot where he had been baited by the dogs of
the jungle tribe when he had tried to enter their
padi. The elephant had evidently been some-
what upset, as his footprints were stamped all
about the track, several inches deep in the hard
soil. Entering this clearing, we made for the
house of the Gee-Krah (a Sakai title for a minor
chief), the headman of that particular tribe.
We found the old man — he was very old and
very dirty — seated below his hut in a great state
of mind, as his wife was upstairs very ill, and his
house was pantang^ that is to say, in such a state
that it would be extremely unlucky to enter
the door, both for the sick person inside and the
person who entered. The Gee-Krah explained,
however, that the elephant had been into the
clearing five nights previously, when his dogs

i6o Elephant and Seladang Hunting

barked at it, and that it had gone away, but
returned later on during the night, and had then
eaten a great deal of padi. He also said that the
elephant had retreated towards Kuala Tuang, as
the day following its visit to the clearing one of
the Sakais had gone down the track toward
Kuala Tuang and had seen its footprints all
along the path. As I found that the old man
was not very pleased at our stopping so close to
his pantang house, we moved to another spot
where we could see several huts.

The clearings in question are very charac-
teristic of the Sakais, as they show a studied dis-
regard of labour which for ingenuity would take
a lot of beating. In the first place, the jungle
is felled, and then burnt, leaving all the big
trees and most of their branches still on the
ground. Amongst this jumble rice is sown and
several small places are partially cleared for huts,
which are erected generally ten feet to fifteen feet
off the ground, when the estate is completed.
These huts are the most rickety affairs, and as
their steps are made of small jungle-trees with
the treads merely tied on with rattan, it is any-
thing but a nice sensation going up and down
them, especially when near the top. At Patah
Gading there were five or six such huts, scattered

At Pasir Kondang i6i

about over the clearing, which was a hundred
acres or so in extent. The huts we now made for
were some distance away, and as Sakai paths in the
clearings are invariably over logs — an easy road
for bare feet, but a disagreeable one for booted
people — we took some time getting there, at
least I did. It was, indeed, nearly two o'clock
before all my people arrived, and as we were
unable to do anything more that day, we decided
to sleep the night in one of the Sakai houses, a
corner of which was put at our disposal. All
the Sakais at this place could talk Malay, as they
had some years ago worked for a gold-mining
company at Bukit Pasoh, where they had mixed
with Malays.

I made the acquaintance of a most intelligent
Sakai named Jilah, in whose house we stayed,
and with whom I chatted for some time about
the solitary elephant we were after. He had
known about this elephant, he said, for five years,
as it regularly visited their clearings during the
rice harvest, and always took away a good deal of
their padi. One year he had treed a friend, who
could not get away for several hours, but, so far as
he knew, the elephant had never killed anybody.

The Sakai hut we stopped in was absolutely
filthy, the interior being practically one mass of a

162 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

small species of cockroach, which got everywhere
amongst our things, so that during the rest of my
trip I failed to get rid of them all, some of the
little pests turning up even a month afterwards.
They gave me a creepy, crawly sensation all
night, so that I slept little.

Next morning we decided to go down to-
wards Kuala Tuang, and, if we found nothing,
follow up another path in an easterly direction ;
afterwards^ supposing we were still unsuccessful
in finding tracks, returning across country to-
wards Patah Gading, thus quartering a good-
sized piece of jungle. That evening Jilah
produced a Sakai from one of the huts, who
said that two days before, he had come across
tracks of the rogue elephant, about a day old, on
the Kuala Tuang path, and promised to take us
to the spot on the morrow. Provided this news
was accurate, we were therefore within three
days of our quarry. The next morning we
left our hut shortly after six o'clock, having
supplemented our transport with three Sakais —
Jilah and two of his friends. Striking into the
jungle at the back of the clearing, we were soon
on the path to Kuala Tuang, and found the spot
where the new track was reported to have been
seen two days previously, but as there had been

At Pasir Kondang 163

some rain (in fact it had been raining all the
previous night) it was difficult to tell exactly
how old it was. As the direction, however,
was towards Kuala Tuang, we continued our
journey as originally projected. At about half-
past nine, when we were nearly halfway to
Kuala Tuang, we suddenly struck tracks of the
previous afternoon of the beast we were after,
and at once changed our direction and followed
them. As these tracks were now going in a
northerly direction, towards Batang Pasir, Datoh
Raja thought it possible the bull was after the
cows we had seen at that place. We were soon
hard on the tracks, which at first took us through
a big swamp for a considerable distance, and then,
changing their direction, struck towards the hills.
Jilah remarked that we were heading towards
the Ulu Tuang, and that not very far from there
was the Ulu Mem-Kuang, the source of a river
flowing into the Sereting Valley, wherein is
a big salt-lick, for which, possibly, the elephant
was^ making ; but the latter soon changed his
course again, and doubled towards Kuala Tuang.
We then knew that we should meet him that
day, as he was turning about too much to intend
going far, and our spirits revived accordingly.
Soon the traces of extensive feeding on the part

164 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

of our quarry showed that we were gaining
on him, as an elephant when feeding to any
considerable extent wastes hours, and afFords
the hunter that opportunity of catching him up
which is so difficult when he is moving from
one locality to another. His tracks became
fresher and fresher, till at last we came to a spot
where the elephant had lain down ; he had
utilised an ant-hill as a pillow, at one end of
which we could distinctly see the imprint of a
tusk. He had been lying there for some time,
and although the " form " was not warm, we
could tell by the myriads of flies that he had
not left long. Herein lies to my mind the great
charm of this class of big-game hunting — the
hour or so before you come up to the object
of your chase, when the indications become
momentarily fresher, and every instant is spent
with the senses alert to their utmost. Every
sportsman must at times feel regret when the
chase is over and the quarry bagged, but so
long as the game has still to be obtained, what
greater sensation of pleasure can be experienced
than the glorious expectation of the result of the
next hour or so ? For my part, I know, when
I left the spot where this fine old rogue had
been sleeping I felt my blood tingling with

At Pasir Kondang 165

excitement, as the mark of the tusk pointed to
a fine trophy, should I be fortunate enough to
bag the quarry, and I knew that my chance was
very close at hand.

We were in fairly clear jungle now, amongst
hills, and although there were numbers of
pallas-palm, which in places made it very thick,
other dense undergrowth was absent. Shortly
before noon, when following the tracks along
the side of a hill, we heard in front of us the
unmistakable noise of an elephant feeding, and
at once halted to ascertain the direction of the
wind. Only the Datoh and Ahmat were with
me, the others with the packs being some way
behind. I found that by following the tracks
the wind was favourable, and started to approach
cautiously ; Ahmat following with the ten-bore,
and the Datoh remaining where we had halted.
As I approached, the elephant also approached
myself, as he was quite unsuspicious, and quietly
feeding. When within twenty yards or so I
could make out his form, a feat of which
Ahmat seemed to think I was incapable, as
he at once caught hold of me and pointing
out the elephant implored me to shoot. With
a hurried " Chelaka " (an expressive Malay word
signifying, in this sense, considerable annoyance)

1 66 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

to Ahmat, and instructions to squat down
and not move till I fired, I crept towards the
elephant. By making for a large tree almost
exactly between the elephant and myself, I
found myself within seven or eight yards of the
huge brute, who had approached the tree from
one side as I had come up on the other, having,
in fact, returned on his own tracks for some
distance. As he was directly facing me, I was
compelled to take the front shot — a shot I
dislike in the case of a big animal, as the brain
lies a long way back, so that enormous pene-
tration is required in order to reach it. The
elephant standing absolutely stock-still, I rose and
fired for the centre of the swelling at the base of
his trunk. As I jumped to one side after firing,
to clear myself from the clouds of smoke which ten
drachms of black powder make, I was surprised,
not to say horrified, to see the elephant standing in
exactly the same position, apparently unharmed*
I fired again for the same spot, and then with
an empty rifle rushed for a secure place, as I
scarcely considered a position eight yards from
this extremely tough beast was altogether safe*
As I moved so did the elephant — only we took
opposite directions — and I soon had my rifle
reloaded. Ahmat was by me with the ten-bore.

At Pasir Kondang 167

and we listened for our quarry, which had
retreated into a thick patch of pallas, where we
could see nothing of him, although we heard
a great deal. Indeed the elephant made a
most infernal noise, roaring and trumpeting for
several minutes, Ahmat running forwards a few
yards, beckoned to intimate that he could see
the beast, but as it was in far too thick a spot
to be clear enough to shoot from, instead of
following Ahmat's advice, I tried to get round
the patch of jungle in which the. elephant was
standing, as I knew he would shortly move
away, and by getting behind him I might be
able to cut him off. The jungle, however, at
this poirtt was too thick for me to move very
quickly, and, before I could get very far, the
wounded animal had increased the distance
between us, and I could hear his retreating
footsteps getting farther and farther away. He
still continued to make a most extraordinary
noise, such as I had never heard an elephant
make before — a sort of mixture between a
trumpet-blast and a cough, and really a terrible
sound, which sent imaginary cold water in
streams down my back. From the noise made
by the squelching of the feet of the elephant,
we knew he had passed through a swamp, and.

1 68 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

as we could now hear nothing further, followed
cautiously. I did not particularly notice the
spot where he had stopped for. some time roar-
ing, otherwise I might have got a clue to the
extraordinary noises the beast had made. After
passing through the swamp he had followed
high ground, and as he had evidently gone off
in earnest, we halted for the rest of our
party. The Datoh pointing to the tracks said,
" Baban dia brat, Tuan," which means, translated
literally, that " His burden is heavy, master,"
but, in the subtle Malay tongue, was meant to
convey that the beast was sorely wounded, as his
footprints were only a few inches apart, instead
of being about four feet, showing that he had
some difficulty in getting along.

While sitting down to wait for the others,
I felt very low, on thinking how I had missed
this beast at such a very short range, and I also
wondered why he had waited in that peculiar
manner after receiving a wound in the head.
This was indeed a new experience to me, and I
scarcely knew what to think. Although I had
not seen his tusks well, as my attention had been
concentrated on a possible point at which to
shoot, I had caught a glimpse of one long yellow
shaft of ivory ; and on questioning Ahmat I

At Pasir Kondang 169

learnt that he had not seen much, but had like-
wise caught a glimpse of both tusks, which were
good to look upon. Imam Prang Samah was the
first to arrive, and as he canie running up, asking
where the dead elephant was, we silently pointed
to the tracks and then to the jungle. Prang
Samah was* very disappointed, and holding out
his hand asked what was the thing he had found.
It appeared that he had stopped for a moment
where the beast had been wounded, and had
found a leaf covered with a mixture of blood and
phlegm, which showed beyond dispute that the
shot had hit the elephant in the right spot. The
bullet must have traversed the base of the
trunk, and the blood running down into his
throat had caused the extraordinary coughing
noise that so alarmed us.

As it was now about mid-day, we decided to
follow the tusker till evening, and in the ^vent
of not coming up with him, to sleep on his tracks.
Accordingly the Datoh, Ahmat, and myself
pushed on, leaving instructions with Prang
Samah to hurry up the coolies when they
arrived, as I intended to travel as fast as possible,
and not to halt for camp till five o'clock ;
but although we followed as hard as we could,
we never came near him that day, and at five

170 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

o'clock, after having circled round and round for
hours, decided to camp. Ahmat and I were a
little ahead of the Datoh, who, as he came up,
said that one of the Sakais had caught him up
about half an hour ago with a message from
Prang Samah, saying that old Che Rah was lost
and that he. Prang Samah, had gone back with
two of the Sakais to look for him. He also re-
ported that all the goods had been left at the
spot whence Prang Samah had retraced his steps>
and that Mahmud and the other coolie were
waiting at that spot. To make matters worse it
was starting to rain, and was within an hour of
dark. No food, no bed, no elephant — I did not
feel at all happy ! As it was too late for us to go
back, we at once started putting up a temporary
shelter, since we were getting most uncomfort-
able with rain ; hoping at the same time
that the others would turn up before dark,
which, I am glad to say, they did, so that after
all we did not go to bed supperless. When I
asked Che Rah how he came to lose the tracks
which was big enough, he complained of his feet
being bad. Poor old chap ! I do not think he
quite enjoyed this hunt, as he was too old for
forced marches. On asking Jilah where we
were, he said that the stream we were close to

At Pasir Kondang 171

was Sungei Gelegar, a tributary of the Tuang,
and that we had not gone very far from the place
where I had originally fired at the elephant.

The next day we were up early, and on the
tracks at daylight. After following for quite a
short time, possibly half an hour, we found a
spot where the elephant had spent many hours,
as he had stamped down many square yards of
undergrowth, and appeared in places to have lain
down, although it was difficult to tell, as the
ground had been flattened out by his feet as
if rolled. Again we followed all day without
coming up to him, quite half the time walking
round and round, crossing and recrossing his
tracks, and getting but little distance from the
spot where we originally met one another.
About mid-day, however, his tracks seemed to
head in a northerly direction, and striking a
game-path towards Bukit Bras, a mountain on the
boundary between Pahang and Negri Sembilan,
he followed this without stopping. We soon
found indications that the elephant had to some
extent recovered his senses and intended to fight.
In one place, for instance, he had stopped and
entirely destroyed with his tusks and head a large
ant-hill alongside the path; while, a little
farther on, he had turned aside, doubled back

172 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

parallel with the path, and stopped just at
the edge facing his own tracks ; but he was too
far ahead, and undoubtedly travelling faster than
we ourselves.

As it was raining all day, and a great deal of our
tracking was through pallas, from which the rain
dripped incessantly, we were soon soaking wet
and very cold ; and at four o'clock we decided to
abandon the chase for a time, as I was compelled
to be back at Pasir Kondang on the morrow, my
provisions being only sufficient to last me over
the night, and accordingly halted for our carriers.
For some little distance we had been following
along a broad jungle path, which the Datoh
thought must be the Malay buffalo-track from
Plangai to Kuala Tuang ; and when our Sakais
came up they confirmed the Datoh's statement,
and said that we were fairly close to Bukit
M'ni, which is near Bukit Bras, where no doubt
the elephant was going. They also said that by
following along the buffalo-track for about an
hour in the other direction we should come to an
old camp of theirs on the banks of the Sungei
Chakei, another tributary of the Tuang, which
was about three hours' walk from the encamp-
ment at Fatah Gading. Retracing our steps,
about an hour before dark we arrived at the old

At Pasir Kondang 173

broken-down camp, a miserable lean-to, which
we fixed up as well as we could for the night.
Fortunately the rain had stopped and we were
able to make ourselves fairly comfortable ; and
that evening, after we had taken our food, we
discussed at great length every phase of the
two days' hunt. The Datoh, ever ready with
astonishing theories, thought that I had been too
close to the elephant when I fired at him, and
that the bullet had not got into its stride, so to
speak. He was, however, quite confident that
we should come up to the beast again, which
was sure to settle down in some spot, far from
where it was wounded, and there " ber-kubang '*
(take mud-baths) for some days. Wounded
elephants invariably do this, as a mud-bath seems
to act as a cooling poultice to the stricken
animals. As subsequent events proved, the
Datoh turned out to be right, and it is perhaps
interesting to note that he had arrived at this
correct prognostication from the light of previous
experience, asserting that all wounded elephants
he had ever followed up, provided that they had
not been seriously incapacitated from travelling,,
had gone fast for two or three days, and then
sought a swamp, where they had hung about
bathing themselves profusely for several days.

174 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

As I found it would be quite impossible to do
anything but stay at Pasir Kondang on the
following night, since 1 had to arrange about
rice, my stock being very low, I decided on the
following programme for the morrow. Our
camp was about equidistant from Patah Gading
and the Malay kampong at Kuala Tuang, The
path to Kuala Tuang was, as I have already said,
the old Malay track to Semantan, and the path
to the clearing was a game-track, with which our
Sakais were acquainted. I therefore decided to
send the Sakais back to their homes with in-
structions to prepare rice sufficient for seven days
for six people ; and also arranged with Jilah to
take six Sakais, and to wait for us at the clearing.
The rest would return to Pasir Kondang vid
Kuala Tuang, make arrangements for our food,
and start again the following morning for Patah
Gading, where we could pick up the Sakais. As
this would mean Wednesday morning before we
left Pasir Kondang, when we should be a good
three days behind our elephant, I thought seven
•days* provision would be none too much, as I
had determined to follow this beast till I found
his hiding-place. I had to supplement my
carriers with Sakais, as my Malays were begin-
ning to fall out ; Che Rah being indeed hors de

At Pasir Kondang 175

combat and quite unable to follow — as we should
have to follow — this wounded elephant, while
the Malay at Pasir Kondang was laid up with a
bad foot, and his friend, who was with me, seedy
and unfit for a hard tramp. With the exception
of Prang Samah, I should then be without
coolies on my return to Pasir Kondang.

We had more rain during the night, and in
the morning, from the flooded condition of the
Sungei Chakei, the Sakais said that they should
be unable to follow the game -path to their
clearing, except at great inconvenience, and
preferred to go with us to Kuala Tuang, and
then on to Patah Gading in the evening. We
had a very bad walk to Kuala Tuang, as it took
us over four hours, quite half of which was
through water ; while in one place, where the
path crossed a small swamp, which was flooded
with backwater from the Sungei Tuang, we
had a few most uncomfortable minutes. This
swamp, which always contained a certain amount
of water, was spanned by a bridge of the
primitive Sakai type, that is, two or three felled
trees, over which one had to scramble as best
one could. These trees were anything but level,
and to get over them with water up to one's
middle, knowing that a false step would mean

176 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

entire submersion, was anything but pleasant.
I carefully avoid carrying my gun over these
places — in this one there happened to be a raft
which came in handy — and my Malay followers
generally had to take that responsibility. Arriv-
ing at Kuala Tuang about mid-day, we found a
Malay boat tied close to one of the houses,
which had come up from the Pahang River
with rice. This proved very useful, as we were
able to buy rice, of which I took ten " gantangs,"
equal to the same number of gallons. This rice
was fairly cheap, being only a dollar for three
gantangs ; and since three gantangs are sufficient
for one man for a fortnight, living ^t that rate
is fairly cheap. Of course at Kuala Tuang we
were besieged with questions, and, with much
mortification of spirit, I had to recount how
unsuccessful I had been up to the present.

Malays are born diplomatists, and their
sympathy on occasions such as these always
appears genuine ; but I felt sure that they
considered the elephant gone for ever, although
they expressed an entirely different opinion.

The owner of the house in which we halted
— I forget his name — knew the Datoh Raja
well, and was anxious that we should partake of
rice ; but as I was anxious to get to Pasir

At Pasir Kondang 177

Kondang as soon as possible to make all
arrangements for the morrow, and my Sakais
had yet to go to Patah Gading, I could not stop,
except for a few minutes. The Datoh's friend gave
us some umpin (young rice pounded and roasted)
and grated cocoa-nut, which were excellent ; and
as there was now a hot sun, which soon dried
our clothes, I sat on the steps of the Malay
house, basking in the sun, and felt more pleased
with myself than I had done since I fired at the
elephant two days previously. At this moment,
a Malay youth named Mat, who lived at
Kuala Tuang, came and asked if I wanted any
coolies, as he should like to go with me on my
trip, and, being a strong, clean-limbed young
fellow, I was only too glad to accept his offer.
He promised to be ready in the evening, and
said he would follow me down to Pasir Kondang.
Borrowing a boat at Kuala Tuang, we paddled
down stream to our camp. As there was another
Malay boat en route for Kuala Triang, and as
old Che Rah was beyond further work, and
my other two Malay coolies were also unfit, I
decided to let them go by this boat, and paid
them off; Che Rah taking with him a wicker
basket full of dried seladang-meat, which I have
no doubt was greatly appreciated at his kanipong.

At Pasir Kondang 179

The Sakais left early in the afternoon for Patah
Gading with most of my tinned provisions, and
instructions to have everything ready, including
their rice, by ten o'clock on the following
morning. Sakais are accustomed to carry their
loads in large rattan or bamboo baskets, which
fit down the back. These hold a good load, and
it is astonishing how fast a Sakai will get along
over what, to us, would be a bad road, carrying
at least forty lbs. The straps used to fasten the
basket to the shoulders are made of the bark
of a tree called trap^ which is beaten out and
forms a sort of cloth, very tough and of great
tensile strength. Formerly this bark was also
used for making loin-cloths, but as civilisation
brought with it cheap cotton goods, one has to
go far afield to find Sakais wearing their primitive
bark-cloths.

I turned in that night vowing I would follow
the wounded rogue elephant, even if it took me
to Johor — a contingency which, I am glad to
say, did not occur.

CHAPTER V

FROM PATAH GADING TO CHEMEMOY STILL

FOLLOWING THE WOUNDED TUSKER

Leaving Pasir Kondang at seven o'clock on

Wednesday morning, the 17th December, with

Datoh Raja, Ahmat, and Mahmud, my boy, —

Mat, the Malay from Kuala Tuang, and two of

the Pasir Kondang Malays did my transport as

far as Patah Gading, where I picked up six

Sakais, — I at once pushed on to the Sakai camp

at Sungei Chakei, where I stopped on Monday

night, and as I arrived before two o'clock I

decided to continue my journey, pick up the

elephant-tracks where I had abandoned them on

Monday afternoon, and follow on until half-past

four or so, and camp where we could. I halted

for a few minutes at Sungei Chakei to close up

our ranks, as some of the men were behind, but

the Sakais did not keep us waiting long, being

excellent carriers with medium loads. None of

my men were carrying more than 30 lbs., so

180

From Fatah Gading to Chememoy i8i

that they could easily keep up with us. We had
to wait some time for the Datoh and Mahmud,
who were a considerable distance behind the
Sakais, and when the Datoh arrived he did so
without Mahmud, but carrying a hurricane-lamp

A Malav River Scesk.

and a couple of fowls which had been entrusted
to Mahmud.

" Where's Mahmud, Datoh ? " I shouted, as
the Datoh came into sight, trudging down the
track.

"He said he was sick, Tuan, and as he
couldn't run in the jungle as we were doing, he
has returned to Patah Gading."

1 82 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

" But where did you leave him, Datoh ? You
know he is not clever in the jungle, and he may
not find his way back."

" I told him that, Tuan, and he said that if
it was his fate to die in the jungle, he would die,
but that he could not continue going at such a
pace. He was, however, only an hour from the
clearing, and I am sure will find his way back^
the track was quite plain."

I hoped he would be all right, as it was
too late to go back and look for him, but I
disbelieved the story about the fever, and was
very annoyed with Mahmud ; the truth of the
matter being, that he had shirked the hard work*
I looked with curiosity at my new Malay, Mat
of Kuala Tuang, as he would now have to cook
for me, and in that capacity I did not think he
looked very promising.

We continued our journey a reduced party>
and about five o'clock camped at the Ulu of
Sungei Remahal, where the elephant's tracks
had led us. These tracks were still those of
Monday afternoon, and as it was now Wednesday
night we had a lot of time to make up. Instead
of taking us to Bukit M'ni, as I thought they
would, the tracks had turned back towards the
Sungei Triang, and in that direction the elephant

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 183

now headed. We had no rain that day, and the
weather seemed clearer.

Breaking up camp the following morning at
daylight and continuing our chase, Ahmat and
Mat carried the two guns, and the Datoh and
I travelled light, leaving the Sakais to follow.
Shortly after nine o*clock we halted to let
the Sakais catch us up, and when we started
again were all close together. Scarcely had we
followed the tracks a quarter of a mile from
our halting-place — we reckoned the tracks were
those of Tuesday morning — when we heard a
noise in the jungle, and the Datoh, who was
ahead, at once stopped, and pointing towards the
sound said, "That's he, Tuan." I was startled
by a tup ! tup ! behind me, the scurrying of
many feet, and turning round saw all the packs
lying on the ground, and a number of naked
brown legs rapidly disappearing in the foliage
above my head. One Sakai named Dras had
not yet taken to the trees, but stood at the foot
of one in such a position that his disappearance
into the realms above was merely a question of
a second or so. Hastily telling him to recall
his friends and collect the packs, and if necessary
retire to a safe distance, I ordered him not to throw
my property about in this manner. The tup !

184 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

tup ! of the baskets, as they fell to the ground,
was a sound that I heard again more than once,
as Sakais never lose their terror of animals
such as elephants and seladang. Living as they
do among wild beasts, armed only with weapons
that are useless against the full-grown animals,
they know full well their power and strength,
in all their wild grandeur, and on hearing or
meeting big game, their instinct and their
hereditary tendency induce them to seek
safety in the tops of the trees. This incident
so amused Ahmat that for some seconds I could
not get him to concentrate his attention on the
business in hand. We approached in the direc-
tion of the sound, and presently spotted the
elephant, who was almost entirely hidden amongst
thick foliage, but was unable to hide his
position, as every half-minute or so he made
the peculiar noise through his trunk that had
so puzzled us on a previous occasion. When
within twenty-five yards, I found I was close to
a small ant-hill where the ground was clear.
Of course a wounded elephant with three days to
cogitate over his grievances was a very different
animal to tackle from an unwounded, unsuspecting
beast, quietly feeding, and I was not anxious to
approach closer than my present position. The

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 185

jungle was thick, and I carefully scanned the
ground in the vicinity of the ant-hill to see
the best line of retreat, in case this became
necessary. Although the elephant was broad-
side-on to me, I found it impossible to dis-
tinguish his ear, although the rest of his body
was fairly clear owing to its dirty white colour
— the result of a mud-bath in a clayey soil.
While I was trying to make out a vulnerable
spot, the elephant moved a few steps forward,
and as I could then see his shoulder fairly well
I quickly fired for his lungs. He made no
noise, but just continued his walk. As I was
kneeling on the sloping ground leading up to
the edge of the ant-hill, the recoil of my rifle
upset my balance, and for a second or so I was
unable to clear myself from the smoke, thus
losing the chance of a second barrel — Ahmat
said that I could easily have got in a second
shot, as the stricken animal moved away very
slowly. To my disgust I found that the cart-
ridge in my right barrel had jammed, owing
to the case splitting. I was unable for some
minutes to extract it, and by the time I had
done so, we could hear no further sound of the
elephant. Examination of the spot where he
had stood showed a great deal of blood.

1 86 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

which continued for some distance along the
right side of the track ; but I found none
of the frothy blood which would have been
thrown from his mouth had my bullet caught
him fairly in the lungs, and I had probably
hit him a little too far back. The Datoh and
the rest soon came up, and we were quickly on
the tracks again. The elephant was not going
very fast, and his stride was short, showing
that he was badly wounded. The Datoh
wondered whether it was the same elephant
I had wounded oh the previous Sunday, — he
had not been near enough to us to hear the
noise made through his trunk, — but I soon put
his mind at rest on that score. We were very
lucky to come across him so soon, and our
experience goes to prove the Datoh's theory
that a wounded elephant, once fairly away from
the district in which he had been attacked,
will settle down to bathe his wounds, and hang
about in one place for a few days. Whatever
the elephant thought previously, there could
have been no further doubt in his mind now as
to the fact that he was being hunted ; conse-
quently he took us into the most impenetrable
swamp that can be imagined, and in places
it would have been impossible to have pushed

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 187

our way through had we not been following
the elephant. Although I fired at him at ten
minutes to ten, I again came up to him at a
quarter-past eleven — a great difference from the
tracking on the Sunday and Monday. As he
was in a thick patch of cane-swamp, and I
could not approach close to him in such covert,
we skirted the swamp and found that the
elephant was making his way very slowly in a
line parallel with ourselves. When in the
middle, he stopped, incessantly making the
peculiar noise with his trunk, so I decided
to try and approach a little closer, as I could see
two or three big trees, around which I expected
to find firm ground.

Telling Ahmat that in cases of emergency he
might use the ten-bore, I crawled through an
entangled conglomeration of thorns and coarse
reedy grass to a big tree, behind which I felt
myself for the moment safe, and then listened
for our quarry. He was there sure enough,
about thirty yards from us, but keeping quite
still. About seven or eight yards distant, some-
what in the direction of the elephant, was
another good spot which I made for, leaving
Ahmat behind the first tree. Carefully crawling
along, with my eyes and ears alert to their

1 88 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

utmost, I was able to make out the head and
tusks of my quarry turned directly my way.
Suddenly his ears moved — did this mean flight
or fight ? I could imagine no more uncomfort-
able place in which to be charged by an
elephant : the swamp was deep, the smoke from
my rifle hung about for several minutes, and
everything depended on the first shot. Hesi-
tating no longer, and standing with one foot on
a root and one leg up to the knee in mud, I
fired for the beast's head, judging the position by
the yellow gleam of the tusks. At the same
moment, bang went Ahmat's rifle to my right,
almost in my ear, and then with a rush and a
scramble I cleared myself from my uncomfort-
able position, and took refuge on firm ground
near the roots of a tree. The elephant rushed
off and commenced roaring with all the enor-
mous lung-power at his command, rolling
through the swamp like a great ship in a heavy
sea, mowing down everything in his way with his
huge head and tusks. I remembered the Sakais,
and wondered what they thought of all this
disturbance, and how my poor goods were
faring. The noise seemed to stop rather sud-
denly, and I thought it possible that the
elephant had succumbed, as we had distinctly

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 189

heard a crash as if he had fallen, and my shot
might have hit the shoulder and penetrated to
the vitals, as the whole outline of the beast had
been most indistinct. I asked Ahmat why he
had fired, whereupon he made some mumbling
excuse as to the elephant being about to charge ;
but I have no doubt his excitement got the
better of him, and it was perhaps excusable
under the circumstances.

Skirting the swamp, we found no dead
elephant, but tracks leading up to high ground,
so on we wenti At one o'clock we again
came up to him, or rather we heard him once
more, this time in a swamp connected with the
Triang River, to which we were now quite
close ; in fact it was practically a backwater to
which the elephant had taken. Hearing him
wading through the water quite distinctly, we
halted on the edge of the water, Ahmat and
myself wading in and leaving the others on dry
ground. For two hours we tried our utmost to
get up to the beast, but, although we waded up
to our necks, failed to do so. Evidently the
elephant had gone out into the middle of the
swamp, and taken his station there, bathing his
body by throwing water from his trunk over his
back. The noise caused by the suction of the

igo Elephant and Seladang Hunting

water, when taken up by his trunk, and the
sound made by its expulsion as it was thrown
over his back, continued unceasingly. At last
we gave it up and returned towards terra Jirma.

As we neared the dry land, we met the old
Datoh, followed by the Sakais, coming towards
us, who said he thought, as we had been away
so long, we must have found that the elephant
had continued his journey on the other side of
the swamp, and had followed him there. We
hurriedly explained matters and retraced our
steps. Meanwhile the Datoh had taken off all
his clothes except his trousers, and when we met
him he was in the water up to his middle, and
was carrying his bundle on his head ; his teeth
were chattering with cold, and all he could say
at first was, " It is very cold, Tuan," which
much amused Ahmat, as we had been over two
hours in the water, and as the Datoh had only
just arrived, he might have given us the chance
of complaining.

Finally, we camped beside the swamp on
good high ground, and occupied ourselves till
evening going down to the water's edge listening
for the elephant, who stopped there till dark, as
we could still hear the swish-swish of the water
as he bathed himself. At seven, eight, and nine

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 191

o'clock he was still there, and his behaviopr
puzzled us much. How we talked over the
events of the day that night in camp ! I asked
the Datoh if he had ever heard of the pursuit
of an elephant producing a parallel to this ; I
asked Ahmat if his father had ever related to
him any such story ; I racked my brains for all
the stories I had heard and all I had read, but
from all sources could find no precedent. At
last, after exhausting all possible theories, we
came to the conclusion that the elephant must
be so sick that he could not move out of the
swamp, and that we should find him dead there
in the morning. Surely no hunted animal
would voluntarily stay in the same spot hour
after hour, except for the one reason that it was
unable to move.

Dropping off to sleep that night, with the feel-
ing that the beast would be mine in the morning,
my slumber was suddenly disturbed by Ahmat
catching me by the shoulder, and nearly pulling
me out of bed. " Quick, quick, sir ! the elephant
is leaving the water and coming towards the
camp ; follow me, we will climb up this ant-hill
where we shall be safe. Where are the guns,
sir ? Bring the gum-tickler with you.'* (I always
called my eight-bore a gum-tickler, and by such

192 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

name it was well known to Ahmat.) Hastily
tumbling out of bed, I seized my rifle, grabbed
a few cartridges, and followed Ahmat. It was
pitch dark, the only light we had being from
a few glowing embers, the remains of the
evening's fire at which we had cooked our food
some hours before. There was a big ant-hill, some
ten to fifteen feet high, just at the end of our
rude shelter, to which Ahmat led me, and where
I halted for a minute and asked him in what
direction he had heard the noise, and I tried to
listen. Immediately the Datoh's thin, hoarse
voice called to me from the air — at least it
sounded as if it was from the air, but in reality
he was on the top of the ant-hill — to come up
quickly as there was no time to lose, the elephant
might be on us at any moment. The poor old
Datoh was thoroughly scared.

Scrambling up the ant-hill, we had only about
two feet square at the top to stand upon, and there
we crowded together. There were only four of
us, and I inquired for the Sakais, when the Datoh
waved his arm significantly towards the trees, and
I knew that at any rate our carriers were safe.
Listening carefully, we could hear a commotion
going on in the water, certainly nearer than
before, but still a long way from our camp.

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 193

What the elephant was doing I do not know,
but he certainly was making a great deal of
noise. It was now about eleven o'clock, and we
stopped on the ant-hill for about half an hour
longer.

It was an amusing situation, if looked at from
the humorous side of it. Four of us on the top
of an ant-hill, six Sakais, each up his respective
tree, and a wounded elephant some hundred yards
or so away, in the inky darkness of the tropical
night, stalking about in the water, with probably
not the slightest intention or inclination to come
anywhere near the party. Gradually our alarm
calmed down, and as we realised that it would be
more comfortable in bed than on the top of an
ant-hill, to bed we went. The Sakais, hearing
us return, quickly dropped to the ground and
crept back under the leaves of their shelters.
We all thought, from the sound, that the elephant
had left the water and had returned to the high
ground near our camp, between the Triang River
and ourselves ; but as I was lying awake after
this little excitement, and our camp had quieted
down, I distinctly heard the noise of an elephant's
stomach, the rumble which so well conveys to
the human mind the power and size of the beast.
It appeared, however, to be to the land side of

194 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

the camp, and if the animal had actually left the
water, that was probably the direction in which it
would have gone. Saying nothing, but listening
intently, in about two or three minutes I heard
the sound again. '' There he is," I said, and
instantly the apparently sleeping Sakais were
scurrying out into the darkness. The Datoh, it
appeared, had fallen off to sleep, and one Sakai in
rushing out stepped across and woke him<up.
Instinctively the old Malay's hand sought his
kriss, but fortunately the Sakai was so quick that
he had passed before any harm could come of the
Datoh's hereditary tendency to strike with his
weapon at the thought of danger. What the
half-awake Datoh thought the Sakai was, I do not
know — possibly the elephant. Nothing, how-
ever, came of this false alarm of mine, as we heard
the beast -no more until a quarter to four in the
morning, when we repeated our earlier per-
formance of the night, and again investigated
the top of the ant-hill. Subsequent events
proved that this was the first time the elephant
actually left the water, and we thus learnt that
from one o'clock the previous day till four
the following morning he had remained more
or less in the same place. For fifteen hours he
had been bathing and sluicing himself with

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 195

water — indicating that he must have been very
sick indeed. We did not hurry ourselves much
the following morning, for we had had a very
disturbed night, and quite expected to find our
quarry very easily — possibly dead ; so leaving our
camp intact, and packing up nothing, as we
thought it possible we might require the camp
again that night if the beast was killed close by,
the three of us investigated the swamp.

First we followed right along the bank on
the side of our camp, down to the Triang
River, but the elephant had not come out there.
Then we wandered to the head of the back-
water and waded across ; but the swamp was
wide, and I began to think that there was no
other side at all — a contingency quite possible,
as the Triang was in high flood, and if the
bank happened to be low at that spot, the water
through which we were wading would continue
until it became one with the river. At last
we spied, through the thick undergrowth, what
looked like dry ground, and soon felt the water
shallowing under our feet. Following down
towards the Triang River, but finding no tracks
for some time, we shouted to the Sakais, and
could just hear an answering call, showing us
the direction the camp lay. This gave us our

196 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

bearings, and the approximate position of the
sound we had heard the previous afternoon, when
we tried to come up to the elephant in the swamp.
Nevertheless, although quite close to that spot,
we could see no trace of the elephant, and so
passed on ; but still no traces, and soon we came
close to the Triang, with the roar of the flood-
water, hurrying down to the great Pahang River,
distinctly audible. Ahmat halted, and pointed
to elephant-tracks, but they were not fresh, and
possibly two days old. Evidently our elephant
had been there between the date when we gave
up following him and the previous day when
we met him again. Carefully examining these
tracks, we found they were undoubtedly those
of the same beast, and quite two days old. Next
we followed them nearly to the river, every step
convincing me more and more that the elephant
lay dead behind us in the swamp, since, after
nearly completing the circle, we had found no
new tracks. But my hopes were soon destroyed,
for, when within fifty yards of the river-bank, we
came upon new tracks, where our quarry had
left the water, and my disgust was great to find
that he had not only followed the bank of the
river, but had gone down to the Triang, where
all trace of him was lost. Pacing up and down

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 197

the bank we found plenty of old tracks, but no
new ones, so that the elephant must have crossed
the river, and as we realised this our hopes sank.
Where was our dying, disabled elephant now ?
To cross the Triang at this spot was no easy feat,
since, as the water was rushing and roaring
down, and many feet deeper than the height of
the elephant, it was no question of fording, but
of swimming, and our dying beast had done
this j As we were miles from anywhere, with
no chance of getting a boat, the difficulty had to
be faced and the flooded river crossed. The first
thing to do was to get together all our camp
things, and the Datoh accordingly went back
to bring the Sakais, upon whose arrival we held
a council of war. The Datoh was very de-
spondent, and thought we should never be able
to cross the river without losing our goods, as
no raft that we could make could live in such
a flood. Ahmat and Mat of Kuala Tuang
were, however, more hopeful, and we finally
determined to try what could be done with a
raft. Near the spot where the elephant had
crossed, a large tree had fallen across the river,
which it about half-spanned. By using this as
a sort of rail along which a raft could be dragged,
we hoped to be able to get to the end of the

198 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

tree, and then, by letting go and poling hard,
land somewhere on the other bank. It was a
poor chance, but we felt that we must get the
elephant. The Datoh, whose hopes and fears
rose and fell like a barometer, suggested that the
elephant could not have had sufficient strength
to cross the flooded river, and had probably
been washed away, and was possibly down some-
where near the Pahang River. In fact, if I
remember right, I think he suggested looking
for it in that direction. The Datoh would have
made an excellent companion to Job !

Getting all hands to fell trees and prepare
rattan for the raft, I amused myself following
up the old tracks of the elephant. Not far from
where he crossed the river he had wallowed in
a mud-bath, easily formed in a hollow made by
the upturned roots of a large tree. The soil
was red at this spot, and all round the mud-hole
the leaves and trees were plastered with terra-
cotta-coloured mud, so that the elephant must
have been quite red after this amusement, and
would have looked somewhat extraordinary if
met in such a guise. As soon as we had made
the raft, we found that the weight of one Sakai
submerged it a foot under water, so we had to
increase the buoyancy by adding another layer

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 199

of jungle trees ; the trees we used being of soft
wood of about seven inches in diameter, which,
even when quite green, floats. The raft was about
twelve feet long by eight broad, and the logs
were fastened together with rattan. When Mat
of Kuala Tuang and a Sakai got on the raft they
submerged it about three inches, so we built a
sort of bridge-deck on the main structure, on
which we could put our packs without fear of
their getting wet. I decided that a trial trip
would be advisable, so, although it was Friday,
an unlucky day for a maiden voyage, off started
the raft with Ahmat and Mat. Naturally I
wanted Ahmat to get across as soon as possible
to hunt for the tracks, so cutting two very long
poles, we lashed to their ends short pieces of
wood, thus making them into fair imitations of
boat-hooks. With these Mat was able to get
hold of the branches of the fallen tree, and
thus crossed safely. Although he managed the
first trip with Ahmat all right, he had much
difficulty in getting back. The water on the
other side of the Triang was quite four feet over
the banks, and although Mat tried to force the
raft through the undergrowth he could not get
far, and Ahmat had to land in four feet of water.
Immediately he disappeared into the jungle with

200 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

only his head and a little of his shoulders show-
ing above water.

As the result of this trial trip, we knew the
task was not impossible, as what had been
managed once could be done again ; and I de-
cided to let Mat take a rope across with him
which would facilitate matters, and we should
then be able to pull the boat across quite easily.
We ought indeed to have thought of this before
he went across with Ahmat. Eventually we found
a very long rattan, at least a hundred yards in
length, and, as the river was not more than sixty
or seventy yards across at this spot, we had ample
length. To pull this out — rattans twine round
and round the branches of the trees — was the
work of a few minutes only, and soon we had
one end of it fast to a big tree on our side and
the other to the raft. Mat of Kuala Tuang and
two of the Sakais forthwith started, but when
about halfway across, the former missed his hold
on the tree and the raft was adrift. Lucky in-
deed that we had the rattan, otherwise our craft
would have been lost ! In a few minutes we
hauled them in and started them off again, when
they rnade a successful trip, and as we now had a
connection right across the river, the rest of the
transport was merely a matter of time.

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 201

Mat of Kuala Tuang was invaluable : he
engineered all the trips across, falling into the
water at least a dozen times, but always coming
up smiling.

After this we got all the Sakais across first,
and then all the goods ; and finally the Datoh
and myself crossed with the guns, the latter
being lashed to the raft in case of accident.
Mat brought back welcome news, as Ahmat had
found the elephant's tracks leading up to high
ground some two hundred yards or so from the
river-bank ; but to get to this ground we had
to wade through deep water, and it was difficult
to keep the goods dry, everything having to be
carried on the men's heads. The elephant, while
in the water on the bank of the river, had fed
largely off rattan and other creepers, this being
apparently the only food for which he now
cared. The tracks took us along a well-defined
path, which, according to the Datoh, led to
Chememoy, some ten miles up country from the
Triang River, where some Sakais lived. We
were, indeed, not very far from Plangai, the
elephant having taken us a long way up-stream.
Hardly had we left the Triang when we came
across another backwater, well out of depth, and
I anticipated another raft — our progress seeming

202 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

to be checked at every turn. Fortunately we
found an old tree-trunk, nearly rotten, floating in
the water, standing upon which two of us could
get across at a time ; but it was an awkward job,
as the wretched trunk would turn round, and I
was easily able to imagine myself an acrobat try-
ing to keep himself balanced on a rolling ball !
These delays had of course taken up a lot of
time, and as it was two o'clock before we had
negotiated the second passage, I thought it un-
likely we should meet our quarry that day.
After following hard till four o'clock we decided
to camp, as the old elephant had evidently taken
a new lease of life and travelled a long distance.

Although we crossed new seladang - tracks
that afternoon, we could of course waste no time
following them ; and the tracks we were follow-
ing showed unmistakable signs of distress on the
part of the elephant, as the footmarks were close
together, and in many places the toes had been
dragged, leaving a deep furrow from one track to
the next. Of course we had to camp near water,
and although all the morning we had more
water than we wanted, for the last two hours we
had been following hills all the time, and so
when we decided to camp, we had to leave the
tracks and search for a suitable place for our

From Patah Gading to Chememoy 203

shelters. As Ahmat and myself made our way-
down into a small valley through very thick
undergrowth, where we thought we might find
water, we suddenly once more heard our quarry.
There was the unmistakable karr-karr of the
animal's throat, and we made for the sound.
Evidently the poor beast had been unable to
stand the fatigue of his late journey, and had
again sought the comfort of a mud-bath. When
we came upon him, he was up to his stomach in
a mud-hole, with his tusks resting on the ground
at one end. We got within twenty yards or so,
and although the leaves of the many entwining
palms made it extremely difficult to make
him out, I saw his ear distinctly, and fired for
the ear-hole. Instead, however, of falling dead
as I expected, the elephant scrambled out of the
mud and rushed screaming into the jungle ; but
his rush was very short, and we soon heard him
moving very slowly, grumbling and grunting with
rage and pain. At this moment the elephant,
which was then going very feebly, passed close to
the Datoh, who Was some way behind ; but it was
too late to think of following any more that even-
ing, so we camped near the mud-hole where there
was a tiny stream of water. My feelings can be
better imagined than described, and I felt very

204 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

angry with myself. All of us were discouraged,
and after our labours in the morning in crossing
the Triang, and our luck in finding the beast
after we had left the tracks, it seemed hard to
have missed so good a chance. Accordingly, it
was with much bitterness of soul that I made the
following entry in my diary that evening : —
" We have had two exciting days, but I have no
excuse for not finishing the business this after-
noon. Camped near Kubang." The old Datoh
was very displeased, and inclined to think the
entire blame rested with myself. As a matter of
fact this was the case, allowing for all difficulties ;
but when smarting under a lost opportunity one
does not care to be reminded of one's failure.
We all agreed, however, that the elephant could
not now go far, and concentrated all our hopes
on the morrow — a morrow on which, I am glad
to say, we at last reaped our reward.

CHAPTER VI

I RETURN TO PASIR KONDANG WITH TWO
PAIRS OF TUSKS INSTEAD OF ONE

On Saturday 20th December commenced a
week which was productive of the best and most
successful hunting of my trip. During the early
unsuccessful days of my expedition I managed to
keep up my spirits with hopes that the luck
would balance itself later on, and at last my
anticipations were nearing reality. We repeated
our usual performance, breaking up camp at day-
light and following the tracks as on previous
occasions. At first the elephant returned along
the path he followed the previous day, and we
were all afraid that he intended to recross the
Triang ; but after keeping us in suspense for
well over an hour, he left the path and struck
into the jungle, taking a direction towards
Plangai. Evidently he was very sick, his tracks
being almost a continual line of footprints, with

scarcely any spaces between them ; but still he

205

206 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

kept on, and we must have travelled quite fifteen
miles before we came up to him, which we did
about noon. We then found him in a nasty
thick swamp, one tangled mass of creepers and
thorns ; and although I could distinctly hear
him, I could see nothing. Ahmat and myself
approached cautiously, and got within twenty
yards of where he stood, but even then I could
see nothing at which to shoot. The elephant
appeared anxious to lie down, as he kept moving
backwards and forwards, a few yards only, over
the same place. There was a small open space
between my position and a spot about two yards
in front of the elephant, and should he move a little
forward I should be able to get a shot ; but un-
fortunately he seemed disinclined to move in that
direction. Accordingly, I beckoned to Ahmat,
and we tried to creep through the thorns and get
ahead of him, hoping for a shot from another
direction, but soon abandoned the idea, owing to
the extreme denseness of the undergrowth, and
' returned to our original position. In fact, the
only thing to do was to wait where we were, on
the chance of the beast moving forward, and as
luck would have it he did so almost immediately ;
and a few laboured steps brought the stricken
animal in front of the small clear opening, where

Return to Pasir Kondang 207

I could make out his eye and ear, and as his head
seemed to be a little bit turned my way, I aimed
just in front of the ear-hole, in the hollow
between the eve and ear. Down he went with a
crash ; with a great sigh he expelled volumes of
air from his lungs, and his trials were over !
Clearing myself from the smoke after firing, I
listened for a moment or so, but hearing no
further sound forced my way through the thick
clump of undergrowth in front, and gave the
fallen elephant a coup de grace in the lungs. He
was, however, already quite dead — at last, after
many attempts, my bullet had found his brain !
So ended a superb hunt, certainly the most
exciting in which I have ever taken part ; and,
although my first thoughts were those of remorse
at the death of so fine an animal, I remembered
the damage he had annually done to the Sakais'
plantations, and consoled myself with the know-
ledge that he had been killed in fair fight. At
a rough calculation, I reckoned that we had
followed this elephant, from first to last, about
eighty-five miles. The Datoh and Mat of Kuala
Tuang soon came up, but we could not persuade
the Sakais to come near for some time — even a
dead elephant they fear. My first business was to
examine the positions of my previous shots, but,

2o8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

owing to the elephant having fallen to his right
side, I was unable to see any of the wounds on that
side ; and as my body-shot and one head-shot
had hit him on the right side I am still in igno-
rance as to their exact positions. My initial
shot was a revelation to me, for although the
bullet had hit the elephant exactly in the centre
of the elevation at the base of the trunk, and had
taken a direct line for his brain, a penetration of
nearly two feet had failed to reach that vital spot.
Even with so severe a wound the tusker, when
first fired at, had stood his ground without flinch-
ing — a good proof of the necessity of using the
heaviest rifle that the hunter can with con-
venience bring into the field ! The shot from
my second barrel had been a wild one, and had
struck his head outside the base of the right tusk.
The shot of the previous evening had pierced
the ear-hole exactly, but had passed in front of
the brain — I should have aimed behind, instead
of at his ear.

Deciding to spend the rest of the day where
we were, and camp close by for the night, we
gave ourselves plenty of time to cut out the
tusks and take any other trophies we wanted.
The tusks were a beautiful pair ; and when sub-
sequently scaled, weighed 60 lbs., and measured

Return to Pasir Kondang 209

14 inches circumference at the gum, and 5 feet
I inch, and 4 feet 11^ inches respectively in
length.

The carcase lying on its right side measured,
between perpendicular staves, one placed at the
sole of the foot, the other at the shoulder, 9
feet 3 inches. We were busy till evening
preparing the trophies, and were quite ready
to turn in when our task was over. At one
time Datoh Raja said that he thought we were
near the Ulu Baris, a small stream which
discharges into the Triang River, near Plangai,
and that our best way home would be to march
down towards Plangai, cross the river there, skirt
the big clearing, pick up the Dernai Kerbau,
and return along that path to Kuala Tuang ; and
we hoped, by leaving very early the following
morning, to be able to reach Pasir Kondang
the same evening. It was fortunate, indeed,
that I killed the elephant when I did, for our
rice had dwindled down in an alarming way,
and we had scarcely two days' supply left. I
took the two fore-feet of the elephant, and as
I had brought no preservative with me, having
left all behind at Pasir Kondang, and should be
unable to get any before the following evening
at the earliest, I thought it advisable to dry

2 1 o Elephant and Seladang Hunting

them before the fire. I told off four Sakais
to remove all the meat from the inside of the
feet, keeping an eye on them to see that they
did not damage the skin, with the result that
they made an excellent job. The rest of us
busied ourselves collecting timber for a large
fire — large with the object of producing wood-
ashes with which to dress the inside of the
feet. Unfortunately the process of drying these
feet before the fire proved a failure, as they
subsequently shrank to such an extent that I
had to throw them away. I might indeed have
saved them if, instead of cleaning them out, I had
taken them as they were to Pasir Kondang ;
but I had not sufficient men to enable me to
perform the task. Elephant's feet will keep
much longer if they are left intact, but are of
course much heavier to transport. Fortunately
I was able to save the tail, of which, however,
there was but little left — the elephant having lost
the greater part of this appendage in fighting.

Further examination of the elephant's car-
case showed the mark of a " penurun " on the
back, at least six inches away from the spine ;
but the sharpened wood must have caused a
very painful wound, the scar left being several
inches long. The Sakais told me that at some

Return to Pasir Kondang 211

of their clearings penuruns were still occasionally
set, but only when the elephants caused them
much trouble and damaged their crops. I
heard the same story further down the Triang
River, and have no doubt that elephants are
often wounded in this way when making un-
welcome, though not unexpected, visits to the
Sakai clearings.

On the following morning, within an hour's
walk from our camp, we came across a jungle-
path which was evidently used by rattan
collectors, by following which, in the direction
of the Triang River, we soon came to a Sakai
clearing belonging to our old friend Batin Tiga
Tapak. The Datoh Raja had been quite right
as to our locality, as the Batin's hut was on
the banks of the Sungei Baris, and from there
to Plangai was scarcely an hour's walk. On
we went towards Plangai, and on the outskirts
of the village, but further down the river than
our previous place of embarkation, we came
across a Malay house, occupied by two Malay
women and several children, but no men.
There was a boat tied up opposite this house,
and as the big clearing was directly in front
of us, we naturally asked permission from the
Malay ladies to borrow their boat. To my

212 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

surprise they most indignantly refused, stating
that their lord and master, before he left home
that morning, had told them on no account to
lend the boat to any one. This harmless pre-
varication deceived nobody, and as they persisted
in refusing to lend us the boat, . even after we
had explained that we only wanted it for five
minutes, we were compelled to take French
leave. Ah mat, with the characteristic scorn of
a town Malay for a country Malay (having
lived for a year or so in Seremban he considered
himself quite civilised), was inclined to make
rude remarks to these very disobliging fair ones,
but ultimately contented himself with snorts
of disgust at the manners of the people of
Pahang. Having safely transported all our goods
and men across the river, I sent the boat back
with Mat, who thanked the women for the loan
of their craft,' and then going a little way up-
stream swam across.

By this time the river had fallen quite four
feet since our previous sojourn at Plangai, and
as the clearing was nearly dry, we made our
way across it, and striking into the jungle at the
back, soon found the Dernai Kerbau. Close to
this path we came across a native perangkap^ an
arrangement set on the ground to catch jungle-

Return to Pasir Kondang 213

fowl, mouse-deer, and such wood-partridges or
pheasants as might happen to come along.
These traps are made by laying through the
jungle, for about half a mile, a line of cut brush-
wood, which is piled from two to three feet
high, with openings every thirty yards or so.
In these openings are placed traps made of
bamboo or cane, which are released the moment
anything tries to pass through, when they fall
to the ground and imprison the game alive.
During the morning we came across two or
three sprung perangkap, in which we saw two
crested wood-quail and one jungle-cock. The
birds scurrying about in the undergrowth, find-
ing one of these brushwood barriers, run along
them until they come to an opening, and dash-
ing through are soon prisoners in the bamboo
traps. Ahmat was anxious to take the birds
from the traps, but was dissuaded from doing
so by the Datoh, who said that such an action
would entirely - destroy our luck ; and as I
suggested to Ahmat that we had not come all
this distance to take other people's property, he
continued his journey a little abashed.

Shortly before eleven o'clock we crossed the
Plangai River near its source, and there being
a nice sandy spit close to the path, halted for

214 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

our mid-day repast. Datoh Raja now told us
a story about a certain Malay Haji who had
travelled through this jungle years before, and
when near the present spot had been chased by
elephants. Unfortunately he had with him a
box containing about a thousand dollars, which
in his flight he was compelled to abandon.
Some hours afterwards, his fear having gone
with the departure of the elephants, he returned
to hunt for his treasure but failed to find it,
and, according to the Haji, the dollars are still
in the jungle undiscovered. This story was so
like an Oriental fabrication that I suggested
to the Datoh that possibly the holy man was
taking the money to pay his debts, that the
elephants had been a good excuse for him to
hide his box, and that no doubt he returned on
a subsequent occasion and removed the dollars.
The Datoh admitted that that would have been
a most cunning thing to have done, and a pro-
ceeding that would probably have saved the
Haji the necessity of paying his debts for a
long time to come ; but he did not think the
story was untrue as the man had been a relation
of his own !

Although loath to leave the shady spot where
we were resting, we had a long way to go,

Return to Pasir Kondang 215

and shortly before noon moved on ; Ahmat and
I, who led the way, striking at mid-day the fresh
tracks of an elephant that had crossed the path.
After following the spoor twenty yards or so
into the jungle, we saw that it was that of a
solitary elephant, which had not passed more
than five or six hours before, so there was just
an outside chance of our being able to come up
to him within a couple of hours. Accordingly
I decided to have a try, and sent Ahmat back
for the guns, telling him to inform the Datoh
that we intended following this elephant for about
two hours, but that, in the event of our not
coming up with it before two o'clock, we should
return ; adding that he (the Datoh Raja) was
to push on and camp at Sungei Chakai.

Ahmat returned in ten minutes- or so with
the Sakai Jilah, and said that the Datoh thought
our chase a foolish one, as in his opinion we
had no chance of coming up to the beast that
day. The Datoh was ever a pessimist ! This
elephant appeared from his track to be a little
smaller than our late quarry, and was obviously
not so old, as his toe-nails were closer to the
feet, making a less distinct impression on the
ground. His tracks soon became mixed up
with those of a herd of five or six other elephants.

2i6 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

but as those of the herd were twenty-four hours
old, they caused us no trouble. This bull was
evidently after the herd, as he assiduously
followed their tracks right up to Bukit M'ni.
Soon we came to the rising ground leading up
to the mountain, and huge granite boulders
met us on every side ; there were quantities of
old elephant-tracks, and a well-defin6d game-
track along which our friend had wended his
way, but Bukit M'ni is celebrated for its creepers,
and we could only make slow progress. Steadily
climbing the mountain, we passed several places
where the elephant had fed to some considerable
extent, and soon came across warm droppings.
These signs put us on the alert, and presently
we heard the breaking of branches in front of
us, and I knew my opportunity was near at
hand. The noise ahead was the signal for Jilah
to climb a tree ; and he did not half climb it
either, as he went up and up until he must have
been at least a hundred feet from the ground,
where he stopped till our hunt was over.

Approaching our quarry, we found that he
was moving slowly along the side of a hill, but
as he had his stern towards me, I could see
nothing at which to shoot. Thinking it was un-
likely he would change his direction, the hill

Return to Pasir Kondang 217

being steep, and his inclination being to follow
along the side, mounting gradually, as the wind
was favourable, we retired a short distance, went
downhill, and then advanced parallel with the
line taken by the elephant, some ten yards
below. Continuing this line, I got directly
below the bull, which I now saw carried a nice
pair of short, thick tusks ; and as I was many
yards beneath him, and had to fire at an angle
of about thirty degrees, I aimed a little behind,
and three or four inches below his ear-hole.
Down he came, falling downhill, but fortu-
nately struck against two trees, which prevented
him from turning over, otherwise he might have
started rolling, and would never have finished
until he reached the bottom of Bukit M'ni.
I ran uphill, hastily reloading, and saw that the
fallen animal was making efforts to get into
some other position — he was lying on his back
with his legs waving in the air — so gave him
two shots in the lungs, which soon quieted him.
I think my bullet must have hit him in the
vicinity of the spine, passing behind the brain,
as his legs were very much alive, although he
appeared unable to move his body. This was
a younger animal than my previous elephant,
his height being only 8 feet 3 inches between

2i8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

perpendiculars, while his tusks when cleaned
measured 3 feet 3 inches long, and scaled just
short of thirty pounds the pair. As there was no
time to do anything more that day, we merely cut
off his tail, and made our way back towards the
buffalo-path. On looking at my watch, I found
it was exactly two hours since we had first
seen his tracks — a great stroke of luck to have
found our quarry so quickly. On arrival at
Sungei Chakai at five o'clock, I saluted the
Datoh by presenting him with the elephant's
tail. The old man expressing mild surprise,
I explained to him how easily we had come up
to the beast, and we all agreed that such luck
seldom came the way of the hunter. From the
appearance of this elephant I have every reason
to believe he was amorously inclined towards
the cows in the herd whose tracks we had seen,
as the small glands in his temples, which secrete
a sort of oil when these animals are in season, were
running with fluid. The Malays value this fluid
immensely, and always try to obtain some of it
when an elephant is killed ; and Ahmat in-
variably carried with him a small quantity of
cotton-wool, which, with the aid of a sharpened
stick, he would thrust down into the gland,
and, after twisting it about for a minute or

Return to Pasir Kondang 219

so, withdraw it soaked with oil. This oil has
a sweet scent, and is used by the Malays as a
medicine, to make the inevitable love-philtre.

Having decided to send Ahmat and one Sakai
back on the morrow to Bukit M'ni for the
trophies — I could only spare two men — I
arranged that the rest should return to Pasir
Kondang via Kuala Tuang, as there was just
enough rice with which to get back. That
night it rained for three hours without stopping,
as it can rain only in the tropics. Our camp
was flooded, it was impossible to make a fire,
and I had to content myself with a cold dinner ;
but all these inconveniences melted into oblivion
now that the game we so long had been after
was ours. During the heavy rain the Sakais
had to cut saplings with which to make a plat-
form to sleep on, as every part of our camp was
three to four inches under water ; but they did
their task cheerfully enough, and by nine o'clock
had made a comfortable sleeping -place. Not
long after we heard the flood-water of the Sungei
Chakai roaring down, which we knew meant
trouble for us in the morning ; and our anticipa-
tions were fully realised, as we had a worse walk
than on the previous occasion, often having to
wade for long distances with the water up to our

2 20 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

chests. About mid-day we arrived at Kuala
Tuang and were greeted with congratulations
by the Malays, who much admired the tusks and
feet ; and when I told them there was another
pair behind, which Ahmat would bring in the
evening, they became quite enthusiastic over my
good luck. Telling them that it was all due to the
Datoh's magic, I think they really believed this
was the case. At Kuala Tuang we stayed some
time, and after partaking of rice, in the cool of
the evening quietly paddled down the river to-
wards Pasir Kondang. About a hundred yards
above the Pasir Kondang village is a sharp bend
in the river, and I told my men that as soon as
we reached this, they must all stand up in the
boat and shout at the top of their voices to let
the Malays know we had not returned empty-
handed. This they did, and instantly I saw a tiny
dug-out, just big enough to seat one man, shoot out
from under the bank and come our way. This
boat contained Imam Prang Samah, who with true
Oriental politeness came out to greet our return.

" What news, Tuan ? " said Prang Samah, as
he ranged alongside our boat, and I could see his
eyes glisten as he gazed on the tusks.

" That's the news, 'Mem Prang," I said, point-
ing to the tusks.

Return to Pasir Kondang 221

"But haven't you shot two elephants, Tuan ;
where are the other tusks ? "

To say that I was astonished would not in the
least describe my sensations, as it was impossible
for news to have travelled ahead of us. I could
only ejaculate, " Who told you, 'Mem Prang ? "
Perhaps there was something in the Datoh's
magic after all !

" Tuan, I dreamt it, and I feel sure you have
killed two elephants."

Then I told him about elephant number two,
and Imam Prang Samah was delighted. The
incident of his dream I can only tell as he related
it to me ; he would not divulge the details, but
stuck to the fact that he knew from his dream
that I should get two elephants. As Ahmat had
not arrived by half- past six that evening, I
thought it possible that he had been delayed
and would sleep at Kuala Tuang ; but shortly
after eight o'clock we heard the thud ! thud ! of
the paddles coming down stream, a light flashed
round the bend, and the ^ext instant the night
was made hideous by Ahmat's shouts of triumph,
and our equally discordant answers. He brought
the tusks and one foot, these being the only
trophies he was able to transport. When I
arrived, Mahmud was at Pasir Kondang, and I

22 2 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

asked him if he had seen anything of a boy
whom I had lost somewhere in the jungle ; but
I was in too good humour to be angry with
him — had I returned empty-handed I should
have had a good deal more to say to the deserter !
At Pasir Kondang lived a Malay girl who was
not as shy as she ought to have been, and Ahmat
suggested that Mahmud had found an attraction in
that direction ; but then the former, having been
away, had lost his chances of love-making, and
was probably jealous of Mahmud's opportunities !

This was the last night we spent in Pasir
Kondang, as we left in the morning for a place
called Kryong, some few miles down stream,
where there were many clearings said to con-
tain unlimited seladang.

The Sakais returned early in the morning to
their homes at Patah Gading, and very sorry was
I to part with them — as they had served me well,
had gone through a good deal of fatigue without
the slightest grumbling, and were genuinely
pleased with the result of the hunt. I took
down with me from Kuala Tuang a Malay youth
named Saleh, a friend of Mat's, and also a Malay
called Bakar, who lived at Kryong (he was up
trading at Pasir Kondang), and said he could
show us where the game was to be found. De-

Return to Pasir Kondang . 223

spite the mosquitoes, I left Pasir Kondang with
many regrets, for had we not arrived there with
only one seladang's head, and were we not
leaving it with our bag increased by two pairs
of tusks ?

CHAPTER VII

TO KRYONG 1 AGAIN INCREASE MY BAG, AL-
THOUGH NOT TO THE EXTENT I SHOULD
HAVE DONE 1 REACH THE PAHANG RIVER

Kryong is not very far down the river from
Pasir Kondang, and four hours' paddling brought
us to our destination. When close to the land-
ing-place we passed a small spit of sand,
lately uncovered by the decrease of the flood, on
which a couple of peahens were scratching
about for food ; but, as always happens on such
occasions, my gun was in its case, and before I
could get it out the birds had taken alarm and
had flown into some trees about a hundred yards
back from the river. I stopped the boat and
clambered up the bank to find that between my-
self and the peafowl was a very wet padi-field
through which I had to wade. However, after
many anathemas on the water, I managed to
creep up to the tree where the two birds were

kindly waiting, and easily accounted for one oi

224

To Kryong 225

them. I then noticed a magnificent cock-bird
strutting along the branch of a tree some eighty
yards farther on, but although I tried my best to
obtain a shot, he was too cunning to allow me
to get to close quarters. These full-grown wild
peacocks are very beautiful birds, carrying tails
nearly six feet long. I saw several about Kryong,
but although I tried hard to get one, as I was
anxious to obtain a specimen, I was always
unsuccessful. I should have had a good rook-
rifle, as these birds almost invariably perched on
the topmost branches of the highest trees, and
were often outside the range of an ordinary shot-
gun. Malays will not eat the flesh of either
peafowl or Argus pheasant, having a peculiar
legend as to the methods adopted by these birds
when generating their species, which, in their
opinion, renders their meat unfit for human food.
Where this idea originated, I cannot say ; it is
quite at variance with nature's laws, and can be
at once dispelled by ordinary observation, but
the Malays seem to thoroughly believe it, and
by doing so deprive themselves of a very tooth-
some article of diet.

Bakar, who appeared to have some authority
over the people at Kryong, arranged that an

empty house — which, by the way, was only just

2 26 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

habitable — should be put at our disposal, thus
saving us the trouble of making a camp. Kryong
consists of four or five tumble-down houses, a
few acres of padi, several magnificent durien-
trees, and miles of useless undergrowth — the
outcome of abandoned land once under cultiva-
tion. This part of the country must have been
thickly populated at one time, but the Malays
— only a few years ago, too — were continually
fighting amongst themselves, and the Triang
Valley sufl^ered very severely. Less than a
quarter of a mile back from the river at Kryong
is a big clearing, about a mile long by several
hundred yards wide, which seladang were reported
to frequent ; but although during our stay at
Kryong we crossed this clearing many times, and
in many places, we saw no signs, old or new, of
seladang. Bakar said he would take us to some
clearings about two miles from Kryong, which
had been burnt ofl^ a couple of months previously,
and should have attracted seladang, as the lalang
would still be young, and, so far as he knew,
nobody had been near the clearings to disturb
the game. As we had plenty of time we
decided to go there that afternoon, and about
four o'clock the two trackers and myself, accom-
panied by Bakar, left Kryong.

To Kryong 227

After crossing the big clearing behind the
village, we struck into the jungle at the back,
following a well-defined path, which headed in
the direction of Kuala Semantan. We soon
came to an old clearing, a conglomeration of
lalang and resam (the latter being a species of
bracken-like fern), very rank and difficult to get
through, but saw no sign of seladang. We
visited two more clearings, and as a sesap
produced no tracks, I began to think that Bakar
was the usual broken reed of the Malay news-
bearer type. We entered next the big jungle
again, and Bakar said there was just one more
clearing to which he would like to take me before
we retraced our steps. As it was getting late, I
pointed out that, as we had a long way to reach
home, we had better give up the idea of going
any farther, and postpone our visit till the
morrow ; but he answered that we could easily
get back, as there was a track from the clearing
which would land us at the far end of the big
field at the back of Kryong. So on we went,
and on emerging from the jungle, entered a sea
of lalang of considerable extent, where I took
my eight- bore and went in front. As this
clearing had a big bend in it, at first we were
only able to see about half its extent ; but there

22 8 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

was no sign of life at that end, and by the time
we got to the middle, whence a view of the other
end was possible, I was about ten yards ahead of
Ahmat. Hardly had I got round the corner,
when I saw a black form disappearing round an
ant-hill some two hundred yards from me, and
dropping down in the grass signalled to Ahmat
to do the same. The Datoh and Bakar were
some distance behind, and I beckoned to Ahmat
to creep back and tell them to stop where they
were, as I had seen what I thought was a
seladang. The lalang we were walking through
was very old and long, thus affording excellent
shelter for stalking, but unfortunately this cover
only extended for fifty yards or so, and then the
rest of the stalk would have to be through
grass scarcely eighteen inches high. Looking up
cautiously, I saw that the black object I had
noticed was indeed a fine big bull seladang,
quietly feeding, and still unsuspicious. As there
was a small dead tree between him and myself,
I reckoned that I could get up to this tree
without being seen ; but past that it would be
impossible to go, and from there I should have
to take my shot. After crawling painfully along
— lalang cuts one's hands most unmercifully — I
reached the tree, and raising myself slowly on my

To Kryong 229

hands peered over the grass. The bull was now
facing in my direction, with his nose, slightly in
the air, and I knew that at last he was alarmed,
and might be off at any moment, so I quickly
stood up behind the tree and aimed at the point
of his shoulder. He was standing in long lalang,
well up to his shoulder, and I had nothing very
definite to shoot at, as he was facing almost
directly my way, with possibly a fifth of his body
showing behind his shoulder. He answered the
shot by a great leap in the air, and then rushed
oiF towards the far end of the clearing. I fired
a second shot at him as he fled, but probably
missed him, as I am a very bad shot with an eight-
bore at a running mark. When I fired he was,
I suppose, sixty yards from me, and had about
a hundred yards to run before he could reach
the comparative safety of the jungle ; but he
covered that distance in a good deal under even
time, and I could not but admire his grand
proportions as he galloped along. Nearing the
end of the clearing, he slackened speed a little,
staggered, and nearly fell over — in fact I thought
he had fallen, his movements being hidden a
little by some bushes he had passed. Running
up with Ahmat, I saw where he had nearly gone
down, and with my eye followed his tracks

230 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

across a small stream, up * the bank on the other
side, and into the thickness of the jungle beyond.
They were undoubtedly the tracks of a badly
wounded beast, and there was a thick blood-spoor
which we followed into the jungle for about
twenty yards ; but it was now some time after
five o'clock, and although there would be another
hour of light in the open, it was nearly dark
in the jungle ; accordingly, when we realised that
every shadow looked like a recumbent seladang,
we decided to abandon the chase till the morrow.
A wounded seladang is indeed diflicult enough
to see in thick jungle at mid-day ; and it would .
have been madness to have followed this beast
so late in the evening. Returning by the track
mentioned by Bakar, we found that it was, com-
paratively speaking, a short-cut home, as we
arrived at our hut shortly after six. I am afraid
I was getting spoilt by my good luck, and I
quite counted on getting the bull in the morning,
as his movements certainly seemed to indicate
that he was badly hurt. Early in the morning
we were away after our wounded quarry, accom-
panied by four or five natives of Kryong, who
thought they would 'be able to get some meat
cheap. It is wonderful how extraordinarily
energetic the indolent Malay becomes when he

To Kryong 231

thinks he stands a chance of getting something
for nothing ; and although you may visit a
village and do your best to engage two or three
men to act as carriers for you without the least
chance of success, these same men who, owing
to a death in the family, or a gathered foot, were
unable to work for you, suddenly discover that
the death can wait, or that the foot, owing to some
wonderful magic, has healed, when the word is
passed round that a " Tuan " has shot an animal
the meat of which can be had for the asking.

When we arrived close to the scene of the
previous evening's encounter, we found tracks,
not more than three or four hours old, on the
game-path we were following, and as they
appeared similar in size to those of the beast I
had wounded, we followed them up ; but, as they
led us into the clearing where we found extensive
traces of feeding, I thought that it was most
unlikely that the wounded animal would feed so
soon, and came to the conclusion that the tracks
must be those of another seladang. We therefore
made for the spot we had left on the previous
evening, and followed up the tracks from there.
Not a hundred yards from the place where
we had previously abandoned the tracks the
seladang had lain down, as shown by a fair-sized

232 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

pool of congealed blood. Within an area of less
than half an acre he had lain down three times,
and then wended his way down towards the path
we had just come along ; thus the tracks we had
followed into the clearing were those of our
quarry after all ; and although he had remained
all night close to the place where he had been
wounded — presumably because he was too sick to
move — his first attempt at flight had been to return
to the clearing, and loiter about feeding on the
tender lalang-shoots. In truth I was a good deal
puzzled, as the traces to which we had to trust
with regard to this beast were so contradictory ;
it is not usual for a seriously wounded animal to
feed to any extent, and yet why should he have
lain down so long if his wound was not serious ?
The tracks soon took us into thick secondary
growth, when we had to proceed very cautiously
indeed, as a seladang bent on fighting would have
had a very good chance of getting a charge home
in such thick stufl^. After tracking for about an
hour and a half we found a place where the bull
had lain down. As we saw a large spot of uncon-
gealed blood in the middle of the bed, and the
lair had every appearance of having been freshly
abandoned, we redoubled our vigilance, expecting
to come on the beast at any moment. And so we

To Kryong 233

did, as we had scarcely proceeded a hundred yards
when we came to a little clear spot in the jungle
where there was a small ant-hill covered with
lalang ; some of this grass had been nibbled, and
the sap was still oozing from the newly-broken
blades, but unfortunately the undergrowth was
so thick all round that we could not see ten
yards in any direction. As a matter of fact, the
wounded animal was lying down about fifteen
yards in front ; but we were unable to localise
him until a snort and a rush told us that he was
away. The rush was, how^ever, that of an
animal in distress, and on examining his tracks
we saw that he had subsided into a walk after
the first two or three bounds. Oh ! for a good
piece of country ! Then I could have counted on
the beast being mine ; but instead of good country
I had the most disheartening class of jungle to go
through — small belts of big trees, with miles and
miles of secondary jungle in between, ranging from
the growth often years, with trees eighteen inches
in diameter and an undergrowth almost entirely
of creepers, to the grown-up lalang -clearing,
which becomes a tangled mass of all the evil
kinds of undergrowth that the Malay jungles are
capable of producing. Picture a solid wall made
of a coarse kind of bracken, with a small tunnel.

2 3+ Elephant and Seladang Hunting

which certainly does not look more than three
feet high, burrowing into this wall, and realise
that the track in front of you is that of your
wounded game, and that the beast has disappeared
into the tunnel, and you may possibly imagine
how we felt ! Entirely apart from the danger
of the proceeding, the chances of getting a shot
in such covert are decidedly against you, and yet
there is only one thing to do, and that is to
follow the trail, as a clear spot may possibly
be struck and a shot obtained. There is no
question of going round, as there is no other side
so to speak, this bracken-growth often extending
for miles. To cut a long story short, although
we followed this seladang for five hours more,
we never saw or heard him again, despite the
fact that during that time he lay down three
times and we must have been very close to him
on more than one occasion. I was very sorry to
give up the chase, but we appeared to stand no
chance of getting a sight of him, and as there
was no end to this secondary jungle, which
afforded such excellent shelter, there was no
alternative.

While we were fpllowing the seladang we had
heard an elephant trumpeting in the jungle about
half a mile away from us ; but the trumpet was

To Kryong 235

that of a young animal, and as there was a herd
reported in the district, I concluded that the
noise must have been made by an elephant with
that herd. On our way home we came across
the tracks of these elephants, but as there was no
signs of a big one, we did not trouble further
about them ; and it took us a good many hours
to get home, as the seladang had led us in the
direction of Mengkarah, on the Pahang River, and
it was after dark when we reached Kryong. On
our way we followed a native path close to the
Triang, for some distance along which a solitary
elephant had travelled some five days before, but
he had scrambled down the bank and crossed
the river before reaching Kryong. He appeared
to be a fair-sized animal, and with a herd of cows
in the vicinity, I thought I might come across
him within the next few days. The Malays
who had followed us in the morning from
Kryong, with visions of cheap meat, had returned
home ere we abandoned the chase, a long tedious
walk, with the possibility of getting nothing,
being a great deal too like hard work for their
taste.

The same evening, after dinner, Bakar brought
a local Malay to see me who had just returned to
the village that afternoon, and said that on the

236 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

other bank of the Triang there was a clearing,
called Meranti Sembilan, of many acres in extent,
which, till a few days ago, had been frequented by
a big herd of seladang. He had not been across
the river for several days, he could not say if the
beasts were still there, and of course he would
not mislead me for the world, but he was quite
sure they had been there a week ago. This is a
little way Malays have when they are telling a
specially big lie, being very particular as to
details — and the whole of this man's tale was
absolutely false, as no herd of seladang had been
near the clearings for months. This, however,
I did not find out till the next day, conse-
quently I made arrangements to visit the oppo-
site side of the river on the morrow.

The dawn broke on Christmas morning with
all the glory of an Eastern sunrise, and long ere
the shrill cry of the peacock that always slept in
the highest durien-tree at the back of our house
had awakened the rest of the village, we were
up and ready to embark. Paddling quietly down
the river for about a quarter of an hour, we drew
into the bank, to land at an old ferry where some
years ago there had been a Malay's house. Here
we had to \ind in water up to our waists, as the
thick thorny creepers with which the bank was

To Kryong 237

lined made it impossible to push the boat right
up to the bank itself. Scarcely had we landed
when, in a fringe of thick secondary growth in
front, with which the clearing was lined, we
heard some animal move and then rush out in the
direction of the padang. We were a considerable
distance below the clearing, and as the ground
rises quickly from the river-bank, obscuring the
view, I could see nothing from where I was ;
but Ahmat said that he had seen a black form
in the thicket and thought that it must have
been a seladang. Crawling up the bank and
through the undergrowth, we found only the
tracks of a large sambur stag, which had cleared
out across the padang, and was no doubt by that
time safely hidden in the big jungle opposite.
After thoroughly examining the clearing we
found no new seladang-tracks ; the only tracks
we saw being those of the animal I had wounded
on the other side of the river, and these must
have been at least a week old. In fact I am
inclined to believe that there had been only one
seladang in that part of the Triang Valley for
months, as we saw no other tracks at all, old or
new. After having nearly exhausted all our
resources on that side of the river, and contem-
plating going back to Kryong, Bakar suddenly

238 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

said that there was a small clearing about a
quarter of a mile farther down stream, which we
could reach by going through a belt of jungle at
the end of the clearing we were then examining.
Taking the chance of luck, on entering the
lalang we almost at once crossed the last night's
tracks of a solitary elephant, which was un-
doubtedly the same we had seen traces of on
the other side of the river, and as the tracks were
less than twelve hours old, we stood a good
chance of getting up to him fairly soon. The
spoor took us down to a Malay's garden, where
the old rogue had played great havoc with the
plantain trees ; he had then visited a padi-field,
where he had also done considerable damage, and
appeared to have eaten a great deal ; this being a
good sign, as he would probably not go very far
before he had his after-breakfast siesta. From
the track Ahmat thought that he was not a very
old animal ; and on reaching the place where he
had knocked down a dead tree and scratched his
belly along the trunk by rubbing himself up and
down, the hunter asserted that such an amusement
would only be indulged in by a youthful beast.
His surmises turned out quite wrong, as the
elephant was a very old one ! We had not
followed far before the tracks showed us that the

To Kryong 239

elephant contemplated resting, and I was afraid
that we might catch him lying down ; a posi-
tion in which it is extremely difficult to kill
an elephant, as all the angles on which it is
customary to calculate for the position of the
brain become altered. We were passing through
fairly open jungle, no creepers and not many
thorns, and I had just turned to Ahmat to remark
that this would be a good place in which to meet
the elephant, when we heard, at no very great
distance ahead of us, the " flop " of his ear as it
hit the side of his head. Owing to his having
ceased feeding, we had approached fairly close
before spotting his position. The noise made by
the ear led me to believe that the elephant was lying
down ; since, when in that position, these animals
often lift the ear that is uppermost and let it fall
back with a resounding smack, and this sound
can, as a rule, be distinguished from the ordinary
ear-flapping, being much more resonant. Turn-
ing round for my eight-bore, which was carried by
Saleh, who was gun-bearer that day for the first
time, and had never been near a wild elephant
before, I saw his eyes were nearly starting out of
his head with fright. He was delighted to give
up the gun to me, as he knew he could then
seek the safety of a convenient tree, and from the

240 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

scared expression on his face I think that was the
best place for him. Flop flop ! went the elephant's
ears. Forthwith I approached the sound ; and
presently made out a grey object, which at first
I took for the elephant, but subsequently made
out to be an ant-hill ; crawling up to this, I
found I was within fifteen yards of my quarry,
which, I could now see, was standing up. As I
could not make out his head very clearly, I
moved some three or four yards away from the
ant-hill. The jungle (for Malay jungle) was
fortunately clear, and I could now quite distinctly
make out the elephant, who was quietly dozing,
with his head hanging low, the tip of his trunk
resting on the ground, and his ears flapping
backwards and forwards very slowly, trying to
keep off the flies, which were disturbing his
morning's nap. I have seldom had an easier shot
at an elephant, but unfortunately, when just about
to fire — he was standing broadside-on to me —
his ear flapped forward arid remained in that
position. Of course his ear-hole was no longer
visible, and failed to affbrd the bull's eye it had
done a second before, the back of his ear present-
ing only a smooth surface ; but the ear remained
forward for so long that I was afraid he had got
my wind — I was very close to him — so, guessing

To Kryong 241

at the position of the ear-hole, I fired. For
several seconds the elephant stood as if carved
out of marble, then with a heavy lurch swung
his head in my direction, and although my vision
was somewhat clouded by the smoke which still
hung about, I realised that his head was getting
bigger and bigger and was coming straight to-
wards me. When within about eight yards I
gave him my second barrel, and under cover of the
smoke ran back behind the ant-hill. With the
impact of my second shot he staggered, swerved,
and then rushed off at right angles to the
direction of his impetuous attack. From the
moment of my firing until the beast was in full
flight was probably less than ten seconds, but it
seemed as many minutes ; the elephant's attack
being all the more impressive as it was carried
out in silence — no premonitory shriek, no
trumpeting — simply a quick, short rush, fortu-
nately checked by my second barrel ! I always
like to carry a second gun, because on one
occasion, when I was nearly killed by an elephant
at Kuala Langat, my second gun saved my life ;
but as a matter of fact when one shoots at such
close ranges, the opportunities of killing your
game, or otherwise, pass so quickly that there is
seldom, if ever, a chance of using a second gun,

242 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

and there is often no time to use even a second
barrel. I was panting with excitement as Ahmat
came up to me — he seemed to emerge from
nowhere — and his first question was, had I seen
the beast's tusks. I certainly had, but only a
faint impression remained : I knew that they
had a pronounced upward curve and appeared very
yellow, showing that they were old, but other
points I had failed to notice.

I was very much annoyed with myself for
not getting the elephant with my first shot, and
could not for the moment account for my failure,
as it was impossible to have missed what I had
aimed at, at so close a range. Then I recollected
that I had loaded my gun with cartridges with
soft lead bullets for seladang when we started
through the clearings in the morning, and had
failed to change the cartridges for those with the
specially hardened bullets kept for elephants. I
have found that an old elephant requires a fairly
hard bullet to penetrate to his brain even when
propelled by ten drachms of powder ; and in the
event of firing at a difficult angle, that is, at an
angle where solid bone has to be penetrated for
some distance, a soft bullet will often fail where
a hardened one will do its duty. It was but
half-past nine when I fired at the elephant ; we

To Kryong 243

had all day before us, and although I felt sure
that there was not much chance of getting up to
him again that day, I decided to follow for a
few hours. The bullets in his head seemed to
have given him a good shock : he had fallen to
his knees after going about a hundred yards, and
after that had slackened his pace into a walk,
keeping his footsteps close together, thus show-
ing that he was sick. As usually happens, the
wounded animal hunted out the thickest jungle
he could find, and the trail soon led us into
thick secondary growth, interspersed with quan-
tities of the giant bracken that had caused us so
much trouble when after the wounded seladang.
Although we followed him till twelve o'clock,
doing our best to come up to him, and distinctly
heard him in front of us three or four times,
the jungle was so thick that it was impossible to
get along beyond a certain pace, and that pace
was too slow to enable us to catch our quarry.
As he seemed to be making for Sungei Bera,
lying in an easterly direction from Kryong
(which river we should ultimately go up when
we returned to Negri Sembilan), and as we were
now a long way from Kryong, I decided to give
up the chase for the day. During lunch I felt
very low, blamed myself for my carelessness over

244 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

the cartridges, and turned over in my mind a
possible programme for the morrow. I am
afraid the elephant had no part in that pro-
gramme. I knew it would be most difficult to
collect sufficient men to transport all my goods
across country to Bera, there were few Sakais in
the district, the Malays were much too lazy, and
I began to think that I had seen the last 6f that
elephant !

Accordingly, we returned home, following
the tracks we had made, and at two o'clock,
when about four miles from the Triang, cut
new tracks of a solitary elephant. A moment's
scrutiny showed us that this was the track of the
wounded bull, who, having made a big circle,
had returned towards the Triang, no doubt with
the intention of crossing the river and seeking
shelter in his old haunts in the Kryong jungle.
This was luck indeed — far better than I deserved ;
the track was only a few minutes old, and as
the beast was heading towards Kryong, I, of
course, followed. En route I quietly mentioned
to the Datoh Raja that this elephant was the
most obliging animal I had come across yet, as it
had saved us the trouble of carrying the tusks
back from near Bera, preferring to bring them
to Kryong himself. The Datoh answered in the

I
i

To Kryong 245

Malay equivalent of " Don't count your chickens
before they are hatched " ; but I thought our
luck was too much " in " for us to lose him
again. The elephant had, however, no intention
of following game-tracks or any such luxuries,
having dived into the thickest of thick under-
growth ; and we accordingly halted to consider
what was best to be done. We were in a part
of the jungle which had been cleared by Sakais
during the last two or three years, and these
clearings were divided by small 'belts of virgin
forest, the intervening spaces being now masses
of vegetation some ten feet high, consisting of
lalang-grass, bracken, small trees, huge fallen
logs which lay hidden in the grass, and enor-
mous stumps of trees, the only survivors of the
primeval jungle. As it is impossible to see
three yards in such covert, I did not attempt
to directly follow the wounded bull ; and as the
clearing was surrounded on three sides by a belt
of big jungle, we skirted through this belt.
Striking no tracks, we had to complete our
square by forcing our way through the far end
of the clearing, and when we had almost returned
to our starting-place we came across the tracks
again. The spoor took us into another belt of
big jungle, through which the beast had passed

246 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

to reach a patch of covert on the other side ; but
we were so close to him that we heard the
crashing of his great body as he forced his way-
through the tangled undergrowth. He seemed
to be heading towards the setting sun, and as
there was a narrow belt of jungle parallel with
the direction he was taking, dividing the clear-
ing he was in from the one that he had just left,
we followed down this belt. The ground was a
little undulating at this spot, and at the moment
we were going down a slight hill, following an
old track that ran through this belt of big trees.
Along this path Ahmat and I stalked our game,
the others remaining at the top of the hill, with
orders to remain quiet until they heard a shot,
or until I sent for them. Being very close to
our quarry we stopped and listened every few
steps. Yes, there he was, sure enough — the
distance was narrowing ! Suddenly I heard him
step on a log which broke with a sounding
report, and then the noise made by the squelching
of his feet through mud sounded directly ahead.
He had left the clearing and was in the belt of
virgin forest. This was my opportunity, and
thinking that we could get along a little better
off the path — there was a clear spot just to
my right — I crawled along through the jungle

To Kryong 247

towards the elephant. The latter had evidently
heard us, and connecting the path with his
enemies had stopped on it and faced in our
direction. Peering through the bushes, I could
see his head and yellow tusks facing up the path.
There was a fighting gleam in his eye, and his
tattered old ears, which were cocked right
forward, were trembling with excitement : I
could distinctly see their torn edges quivering,
his head being lit up by a shaft of light from
the slanting rays of the afternoon sun. As he
was turned slightly away from me, I aimed
behind the ear and eye. I was in a thick patch
when I fired, and immediately I saw him fall I
ran back and tried to gain the path, but Ahmat
was before me and reached the elephant first. I
became for a moment entangled with the under-
growth, and called to Ahmat, who had the ten-
bore, to give the beast a coup de grdce^ which he
promptly did. When I arrived, the elephant
was still moving a little, so I gave him another
shot in the lungs. At the moment I first fired
he must have made up his mind to come up the
path to us, as his fore-legs were bunched up
under him and his hind-legs stretched out
behind, giving him the appearance of having
fallen just as he was about to move forward.

248 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

His head was slightly to one side, with the left
tusk buried in the ground. The tusks were
long and much curved, but thin ; and although
they measured just short of five feet apiece,
they weighed hardly 40 lbs. the pair. This
elephant had several peculiarities : his toe-nails,
instead of being of the ordinary yellow colour,
were flecked with black, having a curious

piebald' appearance ; he had lost the greater

part of his tail, presumably in a fight, only about
eighteen inches remaining ; and he had two
terrible scars in his back from penurun-spears,
one of which was still suppurating, and must
have caused him a great deal of suffering.

He was an old elephant, very thin and
emaciated ; and his tusks had several small
cracks running longitudinally near the tips,
which I believe only appear in live ivory when
very old. I was unable to see where my first
and last shots had hit his head, as his left side
was on the ground ; but my second shot, that
had turned him when he charged, had hit him
high up outside the base of the right tusk,
and appeared to have penetrated about eighteen
inches into the side of his head. He measured
8 feet 6 inches at the shoulder as near as I
could get it ; but as his body was bunched

To Kryong 249

up I could not measure him with absolute
accuracy.

We returned to Kryong almost at once — our
walk home took us about an hour and a half —
and on our way passed a small Sakai clearing
where there were a couple of huts. I spoke
to the people there, and arranged that two men
should accompany us on the morrow to help
bring home the trophies. The Datoh Raja
was anxious to pay a visit to Mengkar^h, on the
Pahang River, which was about half a day's
walk from Kryong, wishing to see several relat-
tions whom he had not beheld for several years,
so I promised to let him go on the morrow, as I
reckoned I should not require his services for the
next few days. The Malay Hari Raia, the
Mohammedan feast of Bairam, which occurs
at the end of the fasting-month of Ramathan,
would be held in a few days, and as my next
halt would be at Kuala Triang, on the Pahang
River, I told the Datoh that I should expect him
there on Hari Raia. Unfortunately I was com-
pelled to stop at Kryong for two days more, as
Imam Prang Samah had gone that morning to
Mengkarah, and would not be back for two
days. On the 26th December I went with
Ahmat and my two coolies across the river, and

250 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

after picking up two Sakais, made my way to
the carcase of the elephant. As I was par-
ticularly anxious to see where my shots of the
previous day had lodged, I made my men cut off
the beast's head and turn it over — a very tedious
business. I found that the first shot had hit
him about three inches below the ear-hole,
but even then would have reached the brain
had the bullet been a hardened one ; the shot
that floored him had gone right through his
head above his brain, and lodged in his spine.
I had been above the elephant when I had
fired, but had evidently allowed too much, and I
was lucky to have billeted my bullet in the
spine, otherwise I might not have got him at
the second attempt. I only took away one fore-
foot, as the other was right under his body, and
the labour of cutting off^ his head had taken
such a long time that there was no opportunity
of getting at the buried foot. I had undoubtedly
had great good-fortune — three elephants and a
possible seladang in five days ; this more than
counterbalanced my previous bad luck, and we
contemplated with some pride the three pairs
of tusks as they lay on the sand at Kryong. On
the 27th and 28th we tried for deer in the
clearings at the back of the village, but although

To Kryong 251

on one occasion I saw two stags, I failed to
get a shot, and had to content myself with a
peacock. On the afternoon of the 28th, Prang
Samah having returned, we paddled down to
Kuala Triang, and, when nearly dusk, I caught
my first glimpse of the great Pahang River,
whose broad flood soon swallows up the waters
of the Triang. The Government chief, Datoh
Umbri, lives quite close to the mouth of the
Triang River, and as soon as we had tied up the
boat to his landing-place, I stepped ashore and
made my way to his house, which, standing on
a small hill and surrounded with cocoa-nut
palms and fruit trees, presents a very picturesque
appearance. I was met by the chiefs son,
who informed me that his father was at Kuala
Semantan, but that he (the son) hoped I would
use his house to sleep in while I was stopping at
Kuala Triang. He also gave me some good news,
namely, that a big solitary elephant had been
frequenting their rice-fields and doing a good deal
of damage ; and although he had not been about
for the last three or four days, was probably not
far away. I made myself very comfortable in the
Datoh's verandah, turned in early and enjoyed an
excellent night^s rest, my dreams being all the
sweeter for the prospect of more sport.

CHAPTER VIII

FROM KUALA TRIANG TO KAMPONG SERETING

From the 29th of December to the i6th of
January I bagged nothing in the way of big game ;
and although I had several chances of adding to
my list, my luck was out and I never fired a
shot. I will not weary the reader with accounts
of still further unsuccessful attempts — probably
I have wearied him enough already — so will
pass over these blank eighteen days as shortly
as possible. Once I came up to three solitary
elephants, two in the vicinity of Kuala Triang,
and one near Kuala Lueh, on the Sereting River ;
two of these were very big tuskers, but the luck
of shooting, or rather the luck of getting the
chance of a shot in the thick jungle, was on both
occasions against me (although in one case I was
within eight yards of my quarry), and I returned
to my camp with a clean gun ; the third beast I
came up to, and could have fired at, but as he

was tuskless I left him unmolested. On another

252

Kuala Triang to Sereting 253

occasion I came across two herds of elephants,
one of about ten animals, the other a large herd
of nearer twenty, but there was no big tusker
with them, and again my hunting was unfruitful
■=— that is to say, from the trophy point of view.
In the vicinity of Kuala Triang there are several
large clearings where seladang are frequently to
be met, but there also I found no new spoor,
although a large herd had passed through a few
days before my arrival. Indeed the only game I
bagged were half a dozen teal, in a swamp close
to the right' bank of the Pahang River. Leav-
ing Kuala Triang on New Year's Day, 1903, I
made my ' way down river towards Kuala
Bera, where I intended stopping the night ; but
getting news of elephants and seladang at a
Malay village called Neran, where I landed to
purchase fowls, I altered my arrangements and
camped there a couple of nights. It was near
this spot that I came up to the tuskless elephant,
which had done a great deal of damage to the
padi, and possibly it would have been well to
have killed him, as he had been a source of great
annoyance to the Malays of the district. I came
across no fresh seladang-tracks, and went on to
Kuala Bera on the 3rd of January. The next
four days I spent going up the Bera to Kuala

2 54 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

Lueh ; the river was in heavy flood, making it
very difficult to get up stream. The Sereting
River runs into the Bera some distance below
Kuala Lueh, and it was up this we had to go
to reach our destination. When we arrived at
Kuala Lueh, we camped in the old store of
a mining company, which, having been sub-
stantially built with a corrugated-iron roof and
sides, had stood the ravages of seven or eight
years of tropical rains and floods. All the low-
lying country around was under water, the floor
of the shed we camped in was flooded, every-
thing was very uncomfortable, and we all felt
more than miserable. On the 8th January we
were unable to do anything, none of us leaving
the shed until the afternoon, when we waded
through three feet of water to get to a Sakai en-
campment built about half a mile or so away on
ground above flood-level. I now had to make
arrangements to hire other boats to go up the
Sereting River, as my big boat from Plangai
could go no further, the river being too narrow ;
and as I had arranged to send it to Kuala Triang
by the middle of January, I had to* part with
Imam Prang Samah, who had agreed to take the
boat back. I left Kuala Lueh on the 12th of
January, having beeo unsuccessful in bagging

Kuala Triang to Sereting 255

anything — failing to get a shot at the big tusker
already mentioned ; and although we managed to
obtain two small boats from the Sakais, took
four days to get up to Kenawan, being able to
make little headway against the heavy flood.
Under ordinary circumstances we ought to have
got up in two and a half days. On our way we
came across many tracks up river — new tracks of
three solitary elephants and one rhino, but as all
were those of small beasts, I wasted no time
following them. No new seladang-tracks were
seen till we arrived at Rengam, an old camp
of mine, an hour's walk below Kenawan, where
we found that a herd of some ten head or so
had passed through about two days previously.
We camped the night of the 15th at Rengam,
and decided to hunt the Kenawan clearings on
the morrow, as the tracks we had seen headed in
that direction. The Sakais from Kuala Lueh
went back from Rengam, leaving us one boat,
which happened to belong to a man at Kampong
Sereting, where my old friend Imam Prang
Dollah lived. As there were other Sakais at
Kenawan, who I knew would help to transport
my goods to Kampong Sereting should I be un-
able to get them all into my one boat, I could
easily dispense with those from Kuala Lueh.

256 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

Early on the morning of the i6th I sent
Ahmat and one of my coolies up river to make
their way to Kuala Pilah, a town of some im-
portance in the Negri Sembilan — to which State
we had now returned — to purchase fresh pro-
visions. The Datoh, myself, and a Sakai of
Kenawan, named Penglima Garang (which means
" the fierce chieftain or warrior " ), left our camp
about the same time to hunt for the seladang
whose tracks we had seen the previous evening.
Penglima Garang, who had hunted several times
with me before, knew the haunts of the Kenawan
herd well, and had been useful to me on many
previous occasions. He was a remarkable-look-
ing little man, very thick set, with the widest,
thickest, ugliest nose that I have seen on any
face. Ever since I had left Plangai I had been
hunting in new fields — that is, new to me, as I
had never been in that part of the countny
before — but now I was back in my old haunts
and knew fairly well where to look for the game.
The clearings at Kenawan are very large, one
being quite a mile long, by an average of three
hundred yards wide ; and it was here that I saw
on one occasion a big herd of nearly thirty
seladang, as already mentioned in the second
chapter of Part I. The grass was long and rank,

258 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

but although we saw plenty of old tracks, there
were no new ones. From this clearing we made
our way into a smaller one, with several small
patches of young lalang, where the seladang we
were searching for had been feeding the previous
night. We followed them by their tracks across
the clearing into the jungle beyond, where they
led us in the direction of the Kenawan Sesap,
where I felt sure we should find them, or some-
where in the vicinity. Before following the
seladang let us, however, go back to the big
Kenawan clearing, where for some years I
possessed a camp, from which I had set out on
many an unsuccessful day's hunting, and occasion-
ally a successful one. I came down to Kenawan
for the first time during Christmas week, in 1899,
with my friend Daly, and since then I have
visited the locality four or five times and have
been lucky enough to return on those occasions
with a trophy of some sort. When first I visited
this spot the seladang were very plentiful and
easily found ; but since those happy days various
classes of hunters have disturbed the game, and
now one shot at the seladang in the Kenawan
district will send them into the next county.
Four short years have thus changed a fine hunt-
ing country into a very poor one ; and although

Kuala Triang to Sereting 259

during that period few beasts have been killed, —
about ten to my knowledge, — seladang are such
timid animals that from continually coming into
contact with man they now shun the district as
much as possible. There is also another reason
which has accentuated their shyness. On two
occasions since 1 899, tame buffaloes belonging to
the Malays in the Jumpol Valley (which is fairly
close to the Sereting) have been afflicted with
rinderpest, and the owners whose cattle were
unaffected brought their buffaloes down to graze
at the Kenawan clearings, where they were kept
for months until the disease had died out in their
homesteads. As only the sound animals were
brought, there was no chance of communicating
the sickness to the seladang ; but the presence of
many Malays with a big herd of buffaloes on
their favourite feeding-grounds, resulted in the
seladang giving the place a wide berth. I may
add that my old tracker from Sereting, Imam
Prang Dollah, told me that a big cow buffalo,
which had escaped from a Malay who was bring-
ing it through from Pahang to Kuala Pilah, had
consorted with the Kenawan seladang, and had
never been recaptured. According to his state-
ment, he had seen it several times with the herd,
and on one occasion, when Daly and myself were

26o Elephant and Seladang Hunting

hunting up the Ulu Kenawan, we came across
tracks of five or six seladang, amongst which was
the track of what appeared to be a buiFalo,
I, however, never saw the beast in the flesh, and
can only state that Prang Dollah was quite sure
about the fact. If he was right, it is a re-
markable occurrence, as seladang hate buffaloes,
and will attack them when any opportunity
occurs, always to the disadvantage of the buffalo.
There are, indeed, several instances of solitary
bull seladang attacking tame buffaloes which
have wandered away from their homes, with the
invariable result that the buffalo has been killed.
To return to the seladang we were following
towards the Kenawan Sesap, we traced their
tracks into thick secondary growth, which the
Sakais had cleared for their crops three years
previously, but found it impossible to do any-
thing there in the way of hunting. Accordingly,
I decided to go straight down by the old game-
track I knew so well to the sesap, hoping to cut
off the herd. The herd had, however, separated,
and when we reached the salt-lick only seven
beasts had passed through ; the others having
evidently preferred to remain in the shelter of
the tangled undergrowth where we abandoned
the tracks. The Kenawan Sesap was at one

Kuala Triang to Sereting 261

time a very big one, but now, owing to the
disturbed state of the district (that is, from the
seladang's, and possibly from the hunter's, point
of view), it is little used, and in places a thin
green grass has commenced to grow over the
reddish mud, a thing impossible so long as the
salt-lick is regularly visited by the bigger game.
It appeared the seladang had only just left the
sesap, and we were therefore prepared to come
up to them at any moment, so now followed their
tracks with great caution through a small swamp,
and then up towards a lalang- clearing which
runs down almost to the salt-lick. I had been
able to gauge the size of the beasts by their
tracks, which were very clear in the soft earth
around the sesap, and I knew there was only
one bull of any size amongst the lot. As we
came out on to the clearing we could distinctly
smell the animals in front, and I felt sure they
were lying down in the long grass. When
seladang are in such a position it is quite im-
possible to localise them until they get up and
rush off; and as the grass is often nearly six
feet high, the chance of a shot is very remote.
Being on the side of a hill, we were unable to
see anything over the brow, and accordingly
halted to consider the possibilities of approaching

262 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

our game. The game, however, decided for us,
and scarcely had we drawn together to confer,
when we were electrified by several snorts and
plunges from the long rank grass ahead of us, and
away went two cow seladang, the tips of whose
horns we could see as they flashed past. A small
calf, previously entirely hidden by the grass, came
tearing down-hill in our direction, stopped about
five yards away from the Datoh, then swerved
and followed the cows, no doubt much puzzled
at the commotion. While this was going on I
had noticed another beast rush off to my right
and apparently stop in the lalang some thirty
yards or so away from where I was standing.
Motioning to the Datoh to squat down, I crept
up to where I thought the bull (I knew it to be
a bull from its size) was standing. An old tree-
stump stood close to me, from which I hoped to
be able to see my quarry, so cautiously approach-
ing it I hauled myself on one side of the stump
to spy out the land. Alas ! my position was
such that although I could keep my balance on
the edge of the stump, I could not possibly
shoot without losing it ; and directly I peered
over the grass in the direction of the bull, I at
once saw his head facing in my own direction,
not ten yards away, and yet the chance of a shot

Kuala Triang to Sereting 263

was hopeless. Owing to the nature of the
ground — just on the top of a steep hillside — the
only possible way I could survey the position
was by negotiating the stump ; but once climbed,
it proved worse than useless, as I could only
keep my balance by holding on with one hand,
and in that position could not possibly use my
eight-bore. One look at the top of my head
was quite enough for the bull, who wasted no
time in rushing off at full speed across the lalang,
and quickly diving into the fringe of jungle
about eighty yards away. He was a fine beast,
and carried a head that would have made a
splendid trophy !

As it was still quite early, only about nine
o'clock, we gave the herd a rest for half an
hour and then resumed tracking. Herd
seladang when once disturbed seldom travel so
far as solitary bulls, but generally spend the
rest of the day in thick secondary growth, if
there is any in the vicinity ; and this party
was no less obliging than usual. As the
nearest really thick patch was at Ulu Kenawan,
to Ulu Kenawan they went. By about half-
past eleven we came up to them in very thick
covert, but by keeping carefully on the track
of the bull we hoped to be able to sight him,

264 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

as he was in the rear of the herd. Suddenly
the Datoh Raja, who was tracking, drew back,
and touching me pointed ahead of him — there,
sure enough, was a big black mass, a confused
tangle of creepers and thick leaves making it
impossible to get a clear view. As it moved
slightly, I managed to see at which end the
head was, so aiming for the lungs or there-
abouts, I fired. We heard the beast fall,
scramble up, and/ then walk away slowly, but
lost all sight of it directly afterwards ; and
although within fifteen yards when I fired, the
undergrowth was so thick that I was uncertain
what had happened. Carefully approaching the
spot where the beast had stood, we soon found
quantities of blood ; apparently indicating that
the bullet had hit somewhere near the right
spot. Thirty yards farther on we came across
the dying animal, and my feelings can better
be imagined than described when I say that I
had shot a cow ! On subsequent investigation
I found that the bull, whose track we had
made no mistake about, had been lying down
close to the unfortunate cow, who no doubt
hearing or smelling us had come slightly in our
direction, and paid for her inquisitiveness with
her life ! The cow had a nice head, and to

Kuala Triang to Sereting 265

the Malays a seladang was a seladang, and,
bull or cow, afforded equally good food ; and,
since we had tasted no fresh meat except fowls
for over a month, the carcase was most welcome.
It is quite impossible, in nine cases out of ten, to
tell a bull from a cow seladang in covert so
thick as that in which I shot this one ; and at
the time of shooting, both the Datoh and myself
would have sworn to its being a bull we were
tracking up ; and although no sportsman is
anxious to shoot a cow, a mistake may happen
at any time, as it did in this case. Little
further remains to be told about the seladang
at Kenawan, as my shot was the signal for the
herd to leave the district, cross the Sereting
River, and make their way towards Ulu
Sereting, where there were several large clear-
ings and two big salt-licks — a favourite haunt
for both seladang and elephants. Two days
after the unfortunate demise of the cow, I came
across a solitary bull near Ulu Kenawan, about
a mile from the thick jungle where I had come
up to the herd ; but although I got close up to
him once, in thick grass, interspersed with small
shrubs, I was unable to see him, and despite
the fact that I followed him up till nearly four
o'clock in the afternoon, never saw or heard

266 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

him again. The cunning beast led us a regular
dance, going round and round all over the
Kenawan jungle, then late in the afternoon
crossed the Sereting River, and, when we left
his tracks, was heading towards Ulu Sereting.

On the 22nd of January I left Kenawan for
the Malay kampong at Sereting, whence I
intended to take a short trip to Ulu Sereting ;
so getting all my goods into my boat (as my
provisions were nearly finished, our belongings
would now all go into one boat), I left the
Datoh Raja and two coolies to pole up the
river. Ahmat, Mahmud, and myself followed
the jungle- track along the river-bank to the
kampong at Sereting, where we arrived some
hours before our goods ; and I spent the after-
noon at Prang Dollah's house, giving him long
accounts of our hunting in the Triang Valley.
My account of the slaying of the Patah Gading
elephant greatly interested him, as, being an
old hunter himself, he could well appreciate the
difficulties against which we had to contend.
I informed him I was anxious to go up to Ulu
Sereting for a couple of days, feeling certain
that as the Kenawan herd had gone in that
direction, I should there find seladang ; and as I
wanted to engage two more men for this trip.

Kuala Triang to Sere ting 267

I arranged with Prang Dollah to get them.
On my return from Ulu Sereting there remained
nothing more to do but to return to Seremban,
thence to Singapore, where I could pick up a
P. & O. Mail, and get back to England, after
an absence of over seven years ; but my luck
was not yet quite finished, and if the reader
is not already weary of the description of my
mediocre hunting, and will follow me through
my next chapter, possibly the short, sharp
encounter that I had with a bull seladang at
Ulu M'Limau may excite his interest.

CHAPTER IX

A GOOD FINISH BACK TO SINGAPORE EN

ROUTE FOR ENGLAND AND HOME

Leaving Prang Dollah's house early on Friday
morning the 23rd of January, we were soon on
our way towards Ulu Betul, in the direction of
Ulu Sereting, along an old track which I had
followed on several occasions when in the pur-
suit of game in that locality. There is one big
salt-lick at Ulu Betul, and there are two more
at Ulu M'Limau, which is within two miles
of Ulu Betul ; and knowing that these salt-
licks were nearly always sure finds for seladang,
and that the Kenawan herd had gone in that
direction, we felt fairly certain we should pick
up some new tracks there or thereabouts. We
arrived at the Ulu Betul salt-lick at noon, and
as we intended to camp at a spot about two
miles farther on, from which the big clearing
at Ulu M'Limau and the surrounding salt-licks
were easily reached, we waited in the salt-lick

for an hour or so on the chance of game enter-

268

A Good Finish 269

ing. We were unrewarded, however, the latest
tracks being those of a herd of seladang which
had passed through about a fortnight previously.
Accordingly, about two o'clock, we decided to
move on ; but just as I was entering the jungle
from the comparatively clear space which sur-
rounded the salt-lick, I heard a rustle in front
of me, then a rush, and at once realised that I
had almost run into a seladang. The Datoh,
who was close behind, whispered that perhaps
it was a deer ; but the strong bovine smell that
almost at once assailed our nostrils quickly put
the matter beyond doubt, and we found on
investigation that a magnificent bull seladang —
judging from his tracks — had evidently intended
coming into the salt-lick by the very path by
which we were leaving, and had we but waited
another two minutes where we had been for
the last two hours, I verily believe he would
have walked right on top of our party. On
meeting us, he rushed back along the game-path
for twenty yards or so, and then turned off into
the jungle in the direction of Ulu M'Limau. I
thought that it was too late to do anything that
day, as we had to make a* camp ; remembering
also that it is always unsatisfactory to commence
hunting late in the afternoon — especially when

270 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

following seladang, which often take many hours
patient tracking before they are overtaken. We
accordingly pushed on to an old camp-site, and,
although the shed I originally built had long since
fallen down, the old clearing came in very useful.
By six o'clock the next morning we were
up and back to the spot where we left the
seladang's track, and were soon hard on the
trail. We had not followed for more than an
hour when we came across tracks of two more
seladang which appeared to have passed before the
one we were pursuing, but were also tracks of the
previous afternoon. Soon we came to a spot
where our friend had overtaken the other two ;
and there had apparently been a slight difference
of opinion, as there were unmistakable signs of
a tussle. The two in front were evidently a
cow and a bull, the latter being much the
same size as the solitary one ; and evidently the
two bulls were anxious to try conclusions as to
which was to be the future consort of the cow.
The contpst seemed to be of a friendly nature
at first, as they all appeared to walk along
together, with short intervals where the two
bulls had stood face to face and had pawed up
the ground ; presently, however, we came to a
place where they had indulged in a regular set-

A Good Finish 271

to, the earth being torn up for several yards, and
all the small saplings levelled to the ground.
We could distinctly see the track of the cow
seladang just outside the ring, where she had
evidently been enjoying the tussle for her pos-
session. After this the seladang no longer kept
together, and I am inclined to think that the
new-comer had taken possession of the cow, as
his track was a little rounder than the other,
indicating an older animal. The beaten bull
apparently followed the other two at a respectful
distance, and finally, when we arrived at the
largest of the Ulu M'Limau salt-licks, we found
that all three had lain down in the jungle near
to the lick, two close together and the third on
the opposite side of the stream — the Sungei
M'Limau. After the rest they had parted
company ; and as it is so much easier to deal
with one animal instead of two, and as it
appeared from their tracks that there was not
much to choose between the two, I decided
to follow the solitary bull, which, after taking
us to all the salt-licks in the Sungei M'Limau
and through a very nasty swamp near the Ulu,
finally turned back as if to return to the Betul.
It was now nearly noon, and the track we were
on was getting fresher every moment : the mud

272 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

on the leaves where the bull's legs had brushed
against them being still wet, and every indica-
tion pointing to the close proximity of the game.
The excitement of tracking big game during
the last few minutes before the quarry is found,
knowing that the chances of a shot in the thick
jungle are all against the sportsman, and that
it is far more probable that the patient tracking
of the last few hours will be rewarded with
disappointment than with success, make those
last few minutes the most stirring of the chase.
We crossed a small rivulet, where the water was
still disturbed and muddy, in his tracks, and as a
small clear space was visible just in front, where
elephant-grass and small shrubs had replaced
the larger growth of the swamp we were in, I
expected to find the bull feeding or lying down
there. Stopping to listen, at first I could hear
nothing but the beating of my own heart, which
has an annoying way of asserting itself on such
occasions ; but after waiting for about half a
minute I heard a movement in the grass some
forty yards ahead, and with straining ears could
just catch the sound of the beast munching. I
crept up another ten yards — it seemed fifty —
every step having to be picked most carefully^
as we were in very swampy ground, and the

A Good Finish 273

sound of a squelching boot would have been*
the signal for the immediate departure of the
seladang. I was now on the edge of the
elephant-grass, and peering through the thick
tangle I could make out a movement about

Mn. J. T. Maccrbcor's big bull seladanc.
The head hu been temporarily mounted by the owner.

thirty yards ahead, and caught a glimpse of a
horn, then of the back of a head, only to lose sight
of it again as the seladang swung round to
snatch one of the last succulent shoots of the
elephant- grass that it was his fate to enjoy.
Fortunately some specially tender piece attracted
his attention in the opposite direction, and a

274 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

turn of his head gave me a good view of the
top of his shoulder, so aiming through the grass
where I thought his lungs ought to be, I pulled
trigger. Enveloped in smoke, which the heavy
damp air so prevalent in swamps gave no chance
to disperse, the moment I fired I jumped to one
side, only to see the seladang with a great bound
swing round immediately towards where I was
standing ; and with two more leaps, with just
the slightest perceptible halt between them, he
had covered ^ third of the intervening dis-
tance. The whole thing was so instantaneous,
the beast's activity was so astonishing, that I
had scarcely time to realise what was happening,
but instinctively threw up my gun, and aiming
for his head — the only part that I could see
above the long grass — fired my remaining barrel.
The second shot produced to my mind a
result as startling as the first, a dead silence
following the echo of the report, as it died away
in the thick wall of virgin jungle that surrounded
us. Can a greater contrast be imagined ? One
moment the excitement caused by the uncertainty
of success or annihilation, which was it to be ?
The next moment the silence of the grave !
Those were indeed trying moments. I had not
seen the beast fall, I had not heard him run

A Good Finish 275

away ; ' and yet the grass around was so long and
thick, that it was quite possible for him to be
standing and yet invisible, provided that his head
was not held high in the air. After waiting
quietly for a few seconds, and reloading my eight-
bore, as nothing more happened, my uncertainty
departed, and I felt sure that the bull must be
down. Ahmat and the Datoh being just behind
me, I motioned to them that we should make a
detour for some rising ground to the left of the
spot where I thought he lay ; and on coming
out into the open I was able to see the noble
seladang lying almost motionless amid the tall
elephant- grass. How my spirits rose when I
realised that the great beast was really mine !
and as there was just the slightest movement in
the body — a movement sufficient to make it
possible for the throat-cutting ceremony to be
gone through — the Datoh quickly approached,
and with a muttered prayer performed the rite.
Hastily examining my victim, I was at first
unable to see the position of the initial shot,
which was on the right side (on which he had
fallen) ; but the shot that floored him was very
visible, having caught him fairly in the centre of
the throat, and the bullet, after passing through
his neck, had broken the spine and finished up

276 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

under the skin on the top of the shoulder. No
wonder that he made little movement ! After-
wards, when we were able to get at the right
side, I found that my first shot had taken him
right through the liver, and would have quickly
proved fatal ; but despite this, I cannot help
considering that my second shot was a remark-
ably lucky one, as the beast certainly meant
mischief, and only wanted to get our position to
charge home. We were both at a disadvant-
age in the long grass, but, as it turned out, the
greater disadvantage was on his side. Possibly
he connected the severe and sudden blow he
received in his side with the tussle of the
previous evening, and with renewed vigour was
anxious to pay off old scores. Although we
found no flesh-wounds from the fight with the
other bull, there were distinct marks on the
skin of his neck and shoulders, where his rival's
horns had sought to find an opening. I soon
had my tape over him, when I found that he
measured 71 inches at the shoulder (between
perpendiculars), with horns that had a circum-
ference at base of 18 inches, and were 31 inches
in widest outside span. Although not a very old
bull, he formed a nice trophy with which to
finish my trip ; and as we had time that day to

A Good Finish 277

skin his head, we soon set to, and after some
two hours' work left for Ulu Betul, where we
arrived back at our shelter at dusk.

The following day we returned to the carcase,
which was about two hours' smart walking from
our camp, to fetch the skull and any meat that
we were able to carry. Unfortunately the skin
of the head got very wet the following day on
our return to Sereting, and I was unable to save
it, which was a great pity, as I had been able to
detach it without any mishap and it would have
set up well. The same afternoon, as we returned
to camp, we passed through a clearing about a
mile from Ulu Betul and found fresh tracks of a
herd of seladang — no doubt they were those from
Kenawan — and came quite close to the beasts
themselves in some thin secondary growth.
While listening for them we suddenly heard an
elephant- trumpet just ahead ; and hearing a
movement in the direction of the sound were
unable to determine whether it had been made
by an elephant or a seladang. I had never met
the two animals so close together before. On
advancing towards the spot where the elephant
trumpeted, we came across a herd idly making
their way through the small jungle ; but had no
time to devote to hunt them, as the afternoon

278 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

was far spent, so we contented ourselves with a
look at two big cows and left them to themselves.
As I had no further time to follow the beasts
we had come across the previous evening, the
following morning I decided to return at once
to Kampong Sereting, so we broke up camp at
daylight and were at Prang Dollah's house at
eleven o'clock. On our way back we again
came across tracks of the elephants, which must
have turned back after getting our scent, as no
doubt they had crossed our path after we had
left them ; they had visited the Ulu Betul
salt-lick, and a fine game they had had there !
There must have been at least fifteen elephants
in the herd (a big herd for this country), and
they had most effectually cleared away all the
undergrowth round the salt-lick, but although I
searched most diligently I could find no marks
of decent-sized tusks, and I think that I lost
nothing by being unable to pursue the herd.
That night I stopped at Prang Dollah's house
and was somewhat disturbed by a tiger wandering
about outside the kampong, making that singular
noise, half-growl, half-moan, which these animals
utter when questing ; it was, however, quite im-
possible to do anything as the night was pitch
dark, and the following morning the tracks

A Good Finish 279

revealed the fact that the animal had retreated to
the big jungle, from which it was, of course,
impossible to drive him.

On the 27th of January we went on to Kuala
Pilah, about eleven miles from Prang Dollah^s
house, and found ourselves once more in civilised
parts. The old Datoh Raja, who had spent most
of the last two months in a pair of knickers that
were beyond description, and nothing else, now
produced from his bundle a smart Malay silk coat
and quite a respectable pair of short trousers,
which he explained it was necessary for him to
don as we were going into a " town." He also
produced a medal, as he called it, which he
carefully pinned on to his coat. This " medal,"
which the Datoh greatly prizes, was given to
him as a reward for his prowess as a hunter — at
least so he says. As a matter of fact, it is really
a steward's badge for Goodwood Races, and bears
the date 1886. It appears that some years ago
an Englishman whom the Datoh took hunting
in the Jelebu District gave him this badge as a
reward, and the poor old fellow firmly believes
that it is a valuable Order. To undeceive him
would, of course, be a pity, and, even if one tried
to do so, I do not believe he would credit the
explanation. Little more remains to be told :

28o Elephant and Seladang Hunting

I Stopped a night at the CoUectorate at Kuala
Pilah, went on the next day to Seremban, and
thence to Singapore, where I caught the Home
Mail on 6th February.

1 was away altogether nine weeks, and my
bag consisted of three elephants and three
seladang ; not a very enormous reward, it may
be said, but a reward that gave me much sport
and plenty of excitement, which is, after all, the
chief aim of a sporting trip !

CHAPTER X

CAMPS, TRANSPORT, ETC.

In the second volume of the Badminton Big-
Game Shooting there is an excellent chapter
embracing the above subject, which opens with
the remark that it is not possible to define a
camp-outfit which would suffice in all climates
and under every condition ; it would therefore
be leaving the account of hunting big game in
the Malay States somewhat incomplete not to
insert a few notes under this heading.

The arrangements that I made for a two
months' trip have been mentioned in a previous
chapter ; and the articles^enumerated as necessary
on that occasion would serve as a guide for a
similar expedition. I have found after several
years' hunting that I am just beginning to learn
what not to take with me, and by the process
of elimination I am now able to put together a
fairly reasonable outfit.

In the first place, it must be remembered that

281

282 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

all elephant- or seladang-hunting in this country
is done on foot — the game being followed by
the assistance of native trackers; the impene-
trable nature of the jungle makes any other
system impossible, although occasionally a sela-
dang may be bagged by waiting • in an open
clearing or in a salt-lick.

It is quite unnecessary to make any preparation
before starting on an expedition after big game
in the way of house accommodation. Never take
a tent, which would be an endless source of
trouble ; a few Malays in half an hour will put
up a camp of jungle-sticks thatched with palm-
leaves, that no one need be ashamed to sleep
under.

For clothes nothing can be better than a dark
green cloth that can be obtained from the Basel
Mission Weaving Establishment of Cannanore,
in Madras ; it is most suitable as regards colour
and texture, blending well with the foliage, and
being sufficiently tough without being too heavy.
Ordinary khaki is unsuitable, being most con-
spicuous in the jungle, especially if the sun is
shining through the leaves on to the cloth, when
those parts touched by the sun will look almost
white. Under-clothing is a matter of habit and
taste : most people recommend some sort of

Camps, Transport, Etc. 283

flannel or wool for jungle-work, and considering
that one is continually in a state of moisture,
either from perspiration or rain, the advice seems
sound ; personally, I wear thin gauze under-
clothing, which I find the coolest for hunting
purposes.

Light leather- or canvas -boots should be
obtained — heavy boots are to be avoided ; but the
number of these light boots that one gets through
is appalling, and being in a constant state of wet
they soon rot, and if canvas-boots are taken, an
allowance of a pair a week should be made.
These boots can be obtained locally from Chinese
shoemakers at about seven shillings a pair, and
when worn out are thrown away. Putties are
essential, small black leeches being at times very
numerous in the Malayan jungles, and the most
effective way to keep them out is to have one's
shooting-trousers made an inch shorter than
ordinary trousers, which enables them to be
tucked inside the socks, when the putty is wound
round the top of the boot, the sock, and the
trouser-leg. The result may not be beautiful,
but it defies the leeches.

Head-gear is always a trouble and requires
some consideration. A heavy sun-hat is out of
the question in the jungle, but is indispensable in

284 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

the open. In following seladang their tracks
often take one through old clearings, which are
as hot as ovens during the middle of the day, and
if the head is not properly protected one is liable
to suffer. A thick soft felt-hat with a narrow
brim is probably the best compromise, but when
it rains — which it does fairly frequently in this
country — such a hat becomes very heavy and has
to be wrung out. I have tried a tweed-cap, which
is excellent so long as one is in the thick jungle ;
and I have also made one of my coolies carry a
Chinese paper-umbrella, which I used if I came
into the open, but it was not altogether a satis-
factory arrangement, and could not be used at all
if in the vicinity of game. I fancy the sight of
a Chinese umbrella would send a seladang into
the next county in a very short time. Consider-
ing that all transport has to be done in the hunt-
ing-country by river or over jungle-tracks, one is
compelled to employ Malay or Sakai coolies as
carriers. Malays as carriers are always most
unsatisfactory, and are a constant worry on a long
trip. The Malay's idea of continuous labour,
except when working for himself on his own land,
seldom extends beyond a few days if the work is
at all hard, and if one is hunting a wounded
animal, which in the case of an elephant wounded

Camps, Transport, Etc. 285

in the head may take several days to come up to,
the only coolies that give one much of a chance to
hunt one's quarry to a finish are Salcais. One is,
however, often compelled to use Malays — Salcais,
except in a few places, being extremely diflicult
to obtain; and under these circumstances it is often
impossible to undertake anything that will mean
a really hard tramp for many days. The Sakai
is naturally an excellent jungle-man, and with
a light load will keep well up with the sportsman
from morning till evening, and will then cheer-
fully set to and build the camp for the night.
I should never think of employing Malay coolies
for jungle -work where Sakais are obtainable.
Other classes of coolies are worse, and it is the
Sakai, the Malay, or nothing.

The wages for coolies vary a little in different
districts ; but from ninepence to one shilling
per day would about cover the fluctuation.
Sakais will often be contented with much less,
and look upon a dollar (two shillings) as untold
wealth. They generally have to be supplied with
food, which will cost another fourpence a day.

The best battery for big-game shooting has
been so thoroughly discussed that it is unnecessary
for me to go into the question to any extent. The
pursuit of elephant .and seladang in Malaya is

286 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

more in the nature of hunting than shooting, the
terms being used in their broadest sense. Con-
sidering that quite 90 per cent of the shots that
one gets will be taken at a range inside twenty-
five yards, it is obvious that the sportsman must
have a weapon in his hand that will give the
quarry such a shock that its wound will occupy
all its attention. It is not a question of marks-
manship at such short ranges (even when at
such a range it is often impossible to take a shot,
owing to the uncertainty of the position of a
vital spot, which cannot be located through the
thick jungle), and a heavy weapon is essential.

I have for several years used an eight-bore
made by Manton and Co. of Calcutta, and a
most suitable weapon it has proved ; but I have
often been handicapped by the difficulty of get-
ting in a second shot in thick jungle, owing to
the dense cloud of smoke that the burning of ten
drachms of black powder produces, and lately
I have been using a '500 cordite- rifle, made
by William Evans of Pall Mall, a much handier
weapon than an eight-bore, weighing some five
pounds less. From the experience I have so far
had with it, I think that it is able to deal a
more effective wound than an eight-bore. The
absence of smoke is, of course, a most important

Camps, Transport, Etc. 287

advantage, . and the penetration of a soft-nosed
nickel-bullet from this rifle is astonishing.

I once killed a seladang with a shot through
the lungs, the bullet entered behind the left
shoulder, passed through the body, smashed the
right shoulder, entirely pulverising the bone, and
was found sticking out of the skin on the other
side, being held there by a shred of the nickel,
otherwise it would have gone right through.
I have often had similar shots at seladang with
an eight-bore, but have never had a bullet pene-
trate the skin on the far side.

Ammunition should be put up in soldered air-
tight tin-cases, ten rounds in a tin. One does
not get the opportunity of using much ammu-
nition, and it is as well to keep what one does
not require in damp-proof cases.

A supply of arsenical soap should always be
taken if any trophies are required other than
tusks and skulls ; and a small medicine-chest
should be included in the outfit. No medicines
are more suitable for jungle -work than those
put up by Burroughs, Welcome & Co. in
the " tabloid " form. Quinirie, phenacetin, an
aperient medicine, chlorodyne, or laudanum,
vaseline, boracic powder for sore feet, some lint,
and a roll of bandages are especially necessary.

2 88 Elephant and Seladang Hunting

The climate of the Malay Peninsula to a man
with a fair constitution and a moderate way of
living is a good climate — is probably one of the
best in the Tropics. There are no dangerous
variations in temperature, and one does not run
the risks of catching cold after a thorough soak-
ing in the way one does in a cooler climate. That
there is a good deal of malarian fever in some
parts it would be idle to deny; but the life that
one leads hunting is generally a healthy one, and,
bar accidents, one is probably as safe in the jungle
of Malaya as in Regent Street.

The Game Laws of the Federated Malay States
may be seen at " The Jungle," in Piccadilly.

APPENDIX

MEASUREMENTS OF SELADANG HEADS OBTAINED
IN THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES

Owner's N.imc.

Widest outside «
span of horns.

Witiest inside
span of horns.

Width between
tips of horns.

Length of
horns.

Tip to tip of horn
across forehead.

Circumference of
horn at base.

Locality where shot.

ins. ins.

Ins. ins.

ins.

' Mr. C. Da Pra .

46 40

33 ••

78.}

20.1

Kuala Jelai, Negri'

(2)

Sembilan.

. Mr. T. S. Mason

37 1 ...

• • ■

Pa hang.

Mr. J. T. Macgregor

35 I ■••

« • ■

74.]

...i

Pahang.

] Taipeng Museum,

34 i 2H

26h

691

Pahang. 1

Perak

.6i

Do do.

33?

^7f

h{ 27J

72i

"f^^J Pahang.
left '

i Mr. T. R. Hubback .

3«

»7

»5 ^3

1 7 Triang, Negri

Sembilan.

: Do. do.

• • •

24 '

«7?

Sereting, Negri

Sembilan.

Do. do.

• • ■ • • ■

• • •

IHu M'Limau,
Negri Sembilan.

Do. do.

3oi

1
• • • • • •

■ • ft

»9

Sungei Dua, Negri
Sembilan.

Mr. R. S. Meikle

• • •

^7i

17 30

• • •

«9

Pahang.

289

Printed by R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edinlfur^h

ROWLAND WARD, limited.

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