June 2, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



873 



however, bred cxtcusively iu a semi-wikl state iu Eurmah 

 and in Siam, where fodder is very plentiful. "With the 

 exception of such elephants as come from Biirmah, almost 

 every elephant seen in India has been wild at one time. 



The following are the methods of taking wild elephants. 

 Kor single elephants, pit-falls; running down and noosing 

 from trained elephants' backs ; or tying the animal's legs 

 together under cover of trained females, usually called de- 

 coys. When a whole herd is the object of pursuit, a salt- 

 lick, or sometimes a pool in the jungles, is surrouuded by 

 a stockade. Men are constantly on the watch, and the gato 

 is closed when a herd has entered. But the most certain 

 plan is that followed by Government, namely, the surround- 

 ing a herd, wherever found in the forest, by a large circle 

 of men, and the building a stockade, into which it is driven. 

 This method will be described further on. With regard to 

 the other plans mentioned, the pit-fall is an old native 

 method, and is now prohibited in British territory on ac- 

 coimt of its cruelty. It may be imagined that an immense 

 majority of the elephants that fell into pits from 15 to 13 

 feet deep sustained permanent injury, if they were not 

 killed outright, as often happened. 'The native hunters 

 seldom took the trouble to put boughs into the pits to 

 break the force of an elephant's fall. If an elephant was 

 seen to be injiured, it was left to die as it fell. I have 

 known four elephants to fall into the same pit together, 

 one only of which was got out alive. 



The pits were arranged with great ingenuity by the hunt- 

 ers. Sometimes an uncovered one would be left iu view, 

 in avoiding which an elephant fell into a covered one along- 

 side. Or several were dug in clo.se proximity, in which 

 others might be taken when fleeing in terror upon the fall 

 of one of their uu:nber. Through the carelessness of the 

 hunters, who only visited the pits occasionally, elephants 

 were frequently starved to death before they were dis- 

 covered. 



The plan of enclosing elephants in salt-licks, or places to 

 which elephants, in common with all wild elephants, resort 

 at certain seasons to eat the earth impregnated with soda, 

 used formerly to be much in vogue iu Assam. It also led 

 to much cruelty. Natives could seldom procure a suiiicient 

 number of tame elephants to deal with a largo herd, shovdd 

 one be enclosed; and in former days scores of elephants 

 died in enclosures from want of food during the delay that 

 occurred in sending for tame elephants. Several of these 

 salt-licks are perfect fjolgothas to this ilay. Such reckless 

 waste of elepliaiit life has now, however, been put a stop to. 



Kunning elephants down and noosing them from the backs 

 of tame elephants is very rough and dangerous, but highly 

 exciting, sport. It is far from an economical method of 

 taking thoni, as the wear and tear of the tame elephants 

 is very great. It is conducted as follows: — Three or four 

 fast tame eleiih.ants are equipped with a rope each, at one 

 end of which there is a noose, the other being secured 

 round their bodies. On some, the noose is on the near side, 

 on others, the off. Each elephant ha.s three riders — the 

 mahout on its neck to guide it ; the nooser, kneeling on 

 a small pad on its back, holding the noose in his hands ; 

 and a sp.are man seated behind, whose duty it is to ham- 

 mer it unmercifully with a spiked mallet. This urges an 

 elephant to a much greater pace than any use of the driver's 

 goail will, though that inducement is by no means omitted. 



Thus equipped, the elephants approach a herd of wild 

 ones. Sometimes a musket is fired to torrify them, and 

 the chase commences through or over evui'ything. the men 

 saving themselves from being swept off as best they can. 

 Where the ground is favourable, the tame elephants en- 

 deavour to range up on opposite sides of a fleeing wild 

 one, of moderate size and strength, when the nooses are 

 cast, and generally encircle its neck. If this is effected 

 the tame elephants are cheeked; but tho choking of the 

 wild one or fatal accidents to the tame ones or their riders 

 by being pulled over, or dragged into ravines, or by being 

 attacked by other elephants, are not unusual accompani- 

 ments to this rough work. 



Iland-noosing is practised only in Ceylon, where sevei'al 

 hunters on foot manage, with wonderful skill and activity, 

 to noose the hind legs of an elephant wheu running away, 

 and to secure the trailing ends of the ropes to trees as it 

 passes. 



The largest ninle elephants eaiunt be captured by the 

 above plans; and from their habit of frequently absenting 

 111 



themselves from their companions, they are seldom caught 

 with the herd by the stockade or kheddah plan. They are 

 the most valuable beasts, and are easily caught in the fol- 

 lowing manner, or some modification of it. Four or five 

 steady females, ridden by their mahouts, who partly con- 

 ceal themselves with a dark-coloured blanket as they lie 

 on their elei>hants' necks, are taken to the jungle where 

 the solitary male is known to be, and are there allowed 

 to graze like wild ones, and gradually to approach the 

 male, if he does not take the initiative. Some wild males 

 make olf at once, probably scenting the riders, but many 

 abandon themselves without reserve to the society of the 

 females. These keep in constant attendance on the male, 

 sometimes for two clays and nights. When the male seems 

 incUucd to sleep sountUy, usually soon after simrise, the 

 females stand close around him, and a couple of mahouts 

 on foot tie his hind legs together, and bind him to a tree 

 if one be near; or they withdraw the tame elephants, and 

 after the male has tired himself out, by dragging his legs 

 after him in his flight, he is fastened to some tree as he 

 passes it. In a day or two cables arc got round his neck, 

 and he is marched off. 



I may here say that the term decoy, often used in refer 

 ence to elephants engaged in the capture of others, is en- 

 tirely misleading, as they use no arts to divert the wild 

 one's attention, as has been constantly asserted, but act 

 entirely at the command of their riders. The statement 

 that one elephant will assist in binding another, except in 

 as far as it will hand up the end of a rope, or pull one 

 wheu ordered to do so, is entirely incorrect. 



The Government kheddah plan is the most certain and 

 economical method of taking wild elephants. As many as 

 lis have been secured in one drive by this means, A 

 Government hunting party consists of 870 men trained tO 

 the work. They are generally from Ohittagong, the natives 

 of that district being unrivalled in the craft. There is a 

 large surplus labouring population in Ohittagong, and there 

 is no difficulty in raising one or two kheddah parties diu"ing 

 December, January, and February, when there are no agri- 

 cultural operations on hand. The men receive two and a 

 half months' pay at K7 (or about 15s.) per mensem, and 

 they also have free rations. 



A kheddah party of 370 men having been collected, it 

 marches to the hunting grounds, sometimes 200 miles 

 distant, where a base camp is ready, and where the establish- 

 ment of tame elephants, generally from 100 to 150, has 

 been collected, together with the stores, tools, and ropes 

 required for the operations. Muskets and rations having 

 been delivered to the men, and religious ceremonit > for 

 success having been performed, the hunters enter the jungle. 

 The trackers of the party have probably already marked 

 down a herd, whereupon the hunters approach to within 

 a mile, and then divide under two experienced leaders, one 

 half filing off to the right, and the other to the left, their 

 object being to enclose the herd in a large circle by meeting 

 beyond it. A man is loft at every 'SO yards or so along 

 the lines, according to the nature of the ground. The skill 

 with which this movement is effected is very remarkable, 

 as the groimd is usually quite unknown to the hunters, 

 and the difficulty of crossing streams and hills, of forcing 

 their way through dense jungle where no path exists, and 

 of gaining the point they are making for without a compass, 

 is considerable. 



The circle, when completed, is often five or six miles 

 in circumference. A large one, with men posted fifty 

 yards apart or so, is more efiicient in keeping in a herd 

 than a smaller one with men much closer. Uules plenty 

 of room be allowed to the elephants, they are liable to 

 break through the cordon of guards; but it is a maxim 

 in elephant catching that, the circle having once been 

 formed, a herd can only escape through accident or great 

 carelessness. It usually takes thi-ee or four hours to sur- 

 round elephants. In a couple of hours the hunters run 

 up a thin fence of split bamboos roimd tlu^ enclosure, and 

 clear a path for communication between each others posts. 

 Their chief duty then is to see that the elephnnts do no break 

 out of the circle. The animals seldom give trouble during 

 the day ; at night large fires are kept up. and shouts and 

 shots are used to drive them back should they approach. 

 The bamboo fencing serves to show the chief hunters, 

 who patrol the circle at mtervals, where the elephants have 

 broken out should thej escape, so that the particular men 



