404 



ELEPHANT. 



first circle being thus formed, the remaining part of 

 the day and night is spent in keeping watch by turns, 

 or in cooking for themselves and companions. Early 

 next morning, one man is detached from each station, 

 to form another circle in that direction, where they 

 wish the elephants to advance. When it is finished, 

 the people stationed nearest to the new circle put out 

 their fires, and file off to the right and left, to form 

 the advanced party, thus leaving an opening for the 

 nerd to advance through, and, by this movement, 

 both the old and new circle are joined, and form 

 an oblong. The people from behind now begin 

 shouting and making a noise with their rattles, 

 drums, &c., to cause the elephants to advance ; and 

 as soon as they are got within the new circle the 

 people close up, take their proper stations, and pass 

 the remaining part of the day and night as before. 

 In the morning the same process is repeated, and in 

 this manner the herd advances slowly in that direc- 

 tion, where they find themselves least incommoded 

 by the noise and clamour of the hunters, feeding as 

 they go along upon branches of trees, &c. If they 

 suspected any snare, they could easily break through 

 the circle ; but this inoffensive animal, going merely 

 in quest of food, and not seeing any of the people 

 who surround him, and who are concealed by the 

 thick jungle, advances without suspicion, and appears 

 only to avoid being pestered with their noise. As 

 fire is the thing elephants seem most afraid of in their 

 wild state, and will seldom venture near it, the 

 hunters always have a number of fires lighted, 

 and particularly at night, to prevent the elephants 

 coming too near, as well as to cook their victuals, 

 and keep them warm. The sentinels supply these 

 fires with fuel, especially green bamboos, which 

 are generally at hand, and which by the crackling and 

 loud report they make, together with the noise of the 

 watchmen, deter the elephants from coming near ; so 

 that the herd generally remains at a distance near 

 the centre of the circle. Should they at any time 

 advance, the alarm is given, and all the people imme- 

 diately make a noise and use their rattles, to make 

 them keep at a greater distance. In this manner they 

 are gradually brought to the keddah. As soon as 

 they all have entered the gateway, fires are lighted 

 round the greater part of the inclosure, and particu- 

 larly at the entries, to prevent the elephants from 

 returning. The hunters from without then make a 

 terrible noise, by shouting, beating of drums, firing 

 blank cartridges, &c..to urge the herd on to the next in- 

 closure. The elephants, finding themselves ensnared, 

 scream and make a noise, but seeing no opening 

 except the entrance to the next enclosure, and which 

 they at first generally avoid, they return to the place 

 through which they, lately passed, thinking, perhaps, 

 to escape, but now find it strongly barricaded ; and 

 as there is no ditch at this place, the hunters, to pre- 

 vent their coming near, keep a line of fire constantly 

 burning all along where the ditch is interrupted, and 

 supply it with fuel from the top of the palisade ; and 

 the people from without make a noise, shouting and 

 hallooing-to drive them away. Wherever they turn they 

 find themselves opposed by burning fires, or bundles of 

 reeds and dried grass, which are thrust through the 

 opening of the palisades, except towards the entrance 

 of the second inclosure. After traversing the first 

 inclosure, and finding no chance of escaping but 

 through the gateway into the next inclosure, the 

 leader enters, and the rest follow ; the gate is instantly 



shut by people who are stationed on a small scaffold 

 immediately above it, and strongly barricaded, fires 

 are lighted, and the same discordant din made ana 

 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 

 frequently to the ditch, in order to break down the 

 palisade, "inflating their trunks, screaming louder and 

 shriller than any 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 arti- 

 ficial 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 squirting it over every part of 

 their bodies. While they remain in this inclosure 

 they continue sulky, and seem .to meditate their 

 escape ; but the hunters build huts around them close 

 to the palisade, watchmen are placed, and every 

 precaution used to 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 ele- 

 phant 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 throwing two bars that stood 

 perpendicular on each side, and which cross each other 

 in the form of the letter 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 further 

 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 door 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 ofT, 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 advancing with the utmost fury. After he has 

 fatigued himself in this confinement, strong ropes with 

 running nooses are laid down, and as soon as he puts 

 a foot within the noose, it is immediately drawn tight 

 and fastened to the palisade. When all his feet have 

 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 one to 

 the other, like the figure <x>, 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, 



