about eight o'clock in the evening
Then he seemed to have made up his mind , and started forward suddenly with a lurch that nearly threw the boys off . He walked straight to the dead mahout and , carefully gathering him up in his trunk , wheeled round and set off stationwards . He had remembered his master 's commands , and the journey to Cawnpore he must commence on the morrow . It was about eight o'clock in the evening , and Alec had no desire to start travelling homeward at that hour . Besides , he had no food with him , and the pad was not on the back of Maharaj . It is almost impossible to ride an elephant bare back , and though these were only slips of boys there was n't room enough for two to sit comfortably on the neck . Alec drove his knees into the elephant 's head behind the ears and tried to turn him round , shouting , `` Dhutt , dhutt , arrea ! ''