362 



THE ELEPHANT. 



[Part VIH. 



The crowd, cliiefly comprised of young men and boys, 

 exhibited astonisliing nerve and composure at such mo- 

 ments, rushing up to the point towards Avhich the ele- 

 phants charged, pointing their wands ^ at their trunks, and 

 keeping up the continual cry of ichoop ! luhoop ! which 

 invariably turned them to flight. 



The second victim singled out from the herd was 

 secm:ed 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 

 Eanghanie stooped under them and attached the fatal 

 noose, and Siribeddi dragged her out amidst unavaihng 

 struggles, when she was made fast by each leg to tlie 

 nearest group of strong trees. Wlien the noose Avas 

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

 and succeeded in carrying it to her mouth, where she 

 would speedily liave severed it had not a tame elephant 

 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 pahsades were 

 always those selected by the noosers, and the operation 

 of tying each, from the first approaches of the decoys, 

 till tlie captive was left alone by the ti'ee, occupied 

 on an average somewhat less than three quarters of an 

 hour. 



It is strange that in these encounters the A\dld elephants 

 made no attempt to attack or dislodge the mahouts or 

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

 in the veiy midst of the herd ; any one of whom could in 

 a moment have pulled the riders from their seats, but no 

 effort was made to molest them.^ 



' The fact of the elephant ex- 

 hibiting timidit}', on havinpr a 

 long rod pointed towards him, was 

 known to the Konians ; and PLrxY, 

 quoting from the annals of I'iso, 

 relates, that in order to inculcate 

 contempt for want of courage in the 

 elephant, they were introduced into 

 tlie circus during tlic triuuiph ol' 



Metellus, after the conquest of the 

 Carthaginians in Sicily, and driven 

 rouiKl the area hi/ workmen Jiahlin;/ 

 bliinfed upearit, — " Ab operariis ha^t.is 

 prrepilatas liabentibus, per circum 

 totam actos." — Lib. viii. c. G. 



^ " In a corral, to be on a tame 

 elephant, seems to insure perfect im- 

 Huuiitv from (lie attacks of the wild 



