.'f,0 



ELEPHANT. 



Bltphwit ocjrt the entrance to the next inclosure, and which they 

 * fiwt generally avoid, they return to the place through 

 which they lately passed, thinking, perhaps, to escape, 

 but now find it strongly barricaded, and, an there is no 

 Hitch at tins place, the hunters, to prevent their coining 

 near and forcing their way, keep a line of fire constantly 

 burning all along where the ditch i.s interrupted, and 

 supply it with fuel from the top of tin* palisade, and the 

 people from without make a noise, shouting an4 hal- 

 looing to drive them away. Wherever they turn, they 

 find themselves opposed by burning fires, or bundles of 

 rwl-. and dried grass, which are thrust through the open- 

 ing of the palisades, except towards the entrance of the 

 second inclosure. Aftertraversingthe first enclosure,and 

 finding no chance of escaping but through the gateway 

 into the next inclosure, the leader enters, and the rest fol- 

 low ; the gate is instantly shut, by people who are station- 

 ed on a small scaffold immediately above it, and strong- 

 ly barricaded, fires are lighted, and the same discordant 

 din made and continued, till the herd has passed through 

 another gateway into the last inclosure, the gate of 

 which is secured in the same manner as the former was. 

 The elephants being now completely surrounded on all 

 sides, and perceiving no outlet through which they can 

 escape, appear desperate, and in their fury advance fre- 

 quently to the ditch, in order to break down the pali- 

 sade, inflating their trunks, screaming iouder and shril- 

 ler than an}* trumpet, sometimes grumbling like the 

 hollow murmur of distant thunder, but wherever they 

 make an attack, they are opposed by lighted fires, and 

 by the noise and triumphant shouts of the hunters. As 

 they must remain some time in this inclosure, care is 

 always taken to have part of the ditch filled with water, 

 which is supplied by a small stream, either natural, or 

 conducted through an artificial channel from some 

 neighbouring reservoir. The elephants have recourse 

 to this water to quench their thirst after their fatigues, 

 by sucking the water into their trunks, and then squirt- 

 ing it over every part of their bodies. While they remain 

 in this inclosure they continue sulky, and seem to medi- 

 tate their escape; but the hunters build huts around them 

 close to the palisade, watchmen are placed, and every 

 precaution used t prevent their breaking through. 



When the herd has continued a few days in the 

 Keddah, the door of the outlet is opened, into which 

 some one of the elephants is enticed to enter, by having 

 food thrown first before, and then gradually further on 

 into the passage, till the elephant has advanced far 

 enough to admit of the gates being shut. Above this 

 wicker gate, two men are stationed on a small scaffold, 

 who throw down the food. When the elephant has 

 passed beyond the door, they give the signal to a man, 

 who, from without, shuts it by pulling a string, and 

 they secure it by throw ing two bars that stood perpen- 

 dicular on each side, the one across the other thus x , 

 and then two similar bars are thrown across each other, 

 behind the door next to the Keddah, so that the door 

 is in the centre. For farther security, horizontal bars 

 are pushed across the outlet, through the openings of 

 the palisades, both before and behind those crosses, to 

 prevent the possibility of the doors being broken. The 

 outlet is so narrow that a large elephant cannot turn 

 in it, but as soon as he hears the noise that is made in 

 shutting the gate, he retreats backwards, and endeavours 

 to force it ; being now secured in the manner already 

 noticed, his efforts are unavailing. Finding his retreat 

 thus cut off, he advances and exerts his utmost force to 

 break down the bars, which were previously put across 

 a little farther on in the outlet, by running against 



them, screaming and roaring and battering them like a 



ram by repeated blows of his head, retreating- and mlx-an- 



cing with the utmost fury." After he has fatigued him- 



srlf in this confinement, strong ropes with running snare. 



nooses are laid down, and as soon as he puts a foot with- 



in the noose it is immediately drawn tight, and fasten- 



ed to the palivulrs. When all his feet nave been made 



fast, two men place themselves behind some bars that 



run across the passage to prevent his kicking them, and 



with great caution tie his hind legs together, by passing 



a cord alternately from the one to the other like tin- 



figure 8, and then fastening these turns in the middle. 



A strong rope is now put twice round his body close 



to his fore legs like a girth, and tied behind his shoul- 



der, then the long end is carried back close to his rump, 



and there fastened, after a couple of turns more have 



been made round his body. Another cord is next fas- 



tened to the girth, and from thence carried under his 



tail like a crupper, and brought forward and fastened 



by a turn or two to each of the girths, by which the 



whole is connected, and each turn of these cords serves 



to keep the rest in their places. After this a strong 



rope is put round his buttocks, and made fast on each 



side to the girth and crupper, so as to confine the mo- 



tion of his thighs, and prevent his taking a full step. 



These smaller ropes being properly adjusted, a couple 



of large cables with running nooses are put round lus 



neck, and, after being drawn moderately tight, and the 



nooses secured from running closer, they are tied to the 



ropes on each side. This operation is represented in Plate 



CCL. Fig. 5. from an original drawing, communicated 



by Mr Corse Scott. While these operations are going $. 



on, the other hunters stand before the gate of the pas- 



sage, tickling his trunk, and diverting his attention with 



a pike or a bunch of cocoa-nut leaves, plantain leaves, 



or sugar canes, so that the cords are, in general, made 



fast without difficulty or opposition. Sometimes, how- 



ever, he seizes the ropes with his trunk, and endeavours 



to break them, particularly those with which his feet 



are tied, or tries to bite them through with his grinders; 



but the hunters then goad him with sharpened bam- 



boos, or light spears, so as to make him quit his hold. 



Those who are employed in putting the ropes round 



his body and over his head, stand above him on a small 



kind of platform, consisting of a few bars run across 



through the openings of the palisades, and as an ele- 



phant cannot see any thing that is above, and rather 



behind his head, they are very little incommoded by 



him, although he appears to smell them, and endea- 



vours to catch them with his trunk. When the whole 



of the apparatus is properly secured, the ends of the 



two cables, which were fastened round his neck, are 



brought forward to the outer end of the outlet, where two 



tame elephants trained to the business are waiting, and 



to them these cables are made fast. When every thing is 



ready, the door at the end of the passage is opened, and 



the ropes that tied his legs to the palisades are loosened. 



When an elephant is not very formidable or unruly, 



it is sufficient to place him lengthwise betwixt two large 



trees about forty feet distant from each other, there to 



bind his hind legs in contact together, and fasten them 



close to one of the trees with five or six turns of thick 



rope ; likewise to bind one fore leg, to which greater 



liberty is given by the length and slackness of the cord- 



age. The pair of tame elephants are then disengaged 



from the wild one, and conducted back to the toil to 



take charge of another captive. This is a most trying 



moment to the wild elephant. VVhile guided by the 



tuition, and soothed by the society of his subjugated 



B" 



