74 TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS 



rows of heavy stakes, leading from the trap to the 

 stocks. Also, next the trap, a small enclosure, four 

 or five feet wide by fifteen long, is built at the end 

 of the passageway formed by the stakes. The piles 

 of the trap are removed from the entrance to this 

 enclosure and bars are substituted. Since the ele- 

 phants were given practically no food during the 

 time they were kept in the trap, they were half 

 starved when the breaking commenced. In their 

 weakened condition they were much less dangerous 

 to handle, and, too, they could then be fed in such 

 a way as to impress upon them the fact that good 

 behavior brings good treatment. 



The young elephants required no breaking, and 

 so they were lured from the trap with food. They 

 roamed about the camp, playing and watching op- 

 erations. 



As soon as the tuskers were taken from the trap, 

 they were killed for their ivory. The tusks were 

 worth almost as much as I could get for the live 

 animals, and tusks are far easier to handle than 

 animals that have to be broken and fed. Also, as 

 the animal dealers say, the elephant might "eat and 

 die." I did the killing with my express rifle. The 

 explosive bullets produced instant death. Another 

 way of killing an elephant is to strangle him by 

 running two ropes around his neck and having 

 elephants pull him in opposite directions. 



As soon as all the equipment for breaking was 

 ready, I instructed the natives in their work. With 



