Noosing. 129 



The second victim singled out from the herd was 

 secured in the same manner as the first. It was a 

 female. The tame ones forced themselves in on either 

 side as before, cutting her off from her companions, 

 whilst Ranghani stooped under them to attach the 

 fatal noose, and Siribeddi dragged her out amidst un- 

 availing struggles, when she was made fast by each leg 

 to the nearest group of strong trees. When the noose 

 was placed upon her fore-foot, she seized it with her 

 trunk and succeeded in carrying it to her mouth, where 

 she would speedily have severed it had not a tame ele- 

 phant interfered, and placing his foot on the rope 

 pressed it downwards out of her jaws. The individuals 

 who acted as leaders in the successive charges on the 

 palisades were always those selected by the noosers, and 

 the operation of tying each, from the first approaches of 

 the decoys, till the captive was left alone by the tree, 

 occupied on an average somewhat less than three- 

 quarters of an hour. 



It is strange that in these encounters the wild ele- 

 phants made no attempt to attack or dislodge the mahouts 

 or the cooroowes, who rode on the tame ones. They 

 moved in the very midst of the herd, any individual in 

 which could in a moment have pulled the riders from 

 their seats ; but no attempt was made to molest them. ' 



As one after another their leaders were entrapped and 



' "In a corral, to be on a tame Adigar's head was on a level with the 



elephant, seems to insure perfect immu- back of the wild animals : I felt very 



nity from the attacks of the wild ones. nervous, but he rode right in among 



I once saw the old chief MoUegodde them, and received not the slightest 



ride in amongst a herd of wild elephants, molestation." — Letter from Major 



on a small elephant ; so small that the Skinner. 



