lOO The Wild Elephant. 



raising it on the elephant's leg at the moment when his 

 companion has succeeded in provoking him to place his 

 foot within the circle, the other end having been pre- 

 viously made fast to the stem of the tree. Should the 

 noosing be effected in open ground, and no tree of suf- 

 ficient strength be at hand round which to wind the rope, 

 one of the Moors, allowing himself to be pursued by the 

 enraged elephant, entices him towards the nearest grove ; 

 where his companion, dexterously laying hold of the rope 

 as it trails along the ground, suddenly coils it round a 

 suitable stem, and brings the fugitive to a stand-still. 

 On finding himself thus arrested, the natural impulse of 

 the captive is to turn on the man who is engaged in 

 making fast the rope, a movement which it is the duty 

 of his colleague to prevent by running up close to the 

 elephant's head and provoking the animal to confront 

 him by irritating gesticulations and taunting shouts of 

 dah! dah! a monosyllable, the sound of which the ele- 

 phant peculiarly dislikes. Meanwhile the first assailant, 

 having secured one noose, comes up from behind with 

 another, with which, amidst the vain rage and struggles 

 of the victim, he entraps a fore leg, the rope being, as 

 before, secured to another tree in front, and the whole 

 four feet having been thus entangled, the capture is 

 completed. 



A shelter is then run up with branches, to protect the 

 captive from the sun, and the hunters proceed to build a 

 wigwam for themselves in front of him, kindling their 

 fires for cooking, and making all the necessary arrange- 

 ments for remaining day and night on the si)ot to await . 

 the process of subduing and taming his rage. In my 



