ELEPHANTS 75 



a select crew of men, I rehearsed all the details of 

 what we were going to do and how we were going 

 to do it. Finally, I ordered food placed in the en- 

 closure and the bars drawn. The nearest elephant 

 saw the food, sniffed, flapped his ears and walked 

 in. Breaking commenced. 



As soon as the elephant enters the small enclosure, 

 the bars behind him are slipped. He eats the food 

 so eagerly that he does not realize quite what is 

 happening and the men put the knee- and foot- 

 hobbles on him. These allow him about one quarter 

 of his normal step. Rattan ropes are fastened to 

 his feet and drawn out through the bars ; his trunk 

 is secured so that he can do no damage with it. 



There is a great deal of misunderstanding about 

 what an elephant can do with his trunk. It is a 

 sensitive organ and he never uses it for heavy labor, 

 but he can strike a terrific blow with it. I have seen 

 many a man's ribs and arms broken when he ne- 

 glected to take the proper precautions. In approach- 

 ing a dangerous elephant, a man should come up 

 sideways, with the nearer arm folded to protect 

 the ribs. Then, if the elephant strikes, he should 

 try to catch the blow on the upper part of the arm, 

 where there is the most flesh to protect the bone. 

 Such a blow never knocks a man flat ; it sends him 

 spinning like a top until he tumbles over. 



The elephant uses both his trunk and his lungs in 

 calling, and he has a large variety of sounds and 

 combinations of sound with which to express him- 



