io8 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



him, but because once an elephant has had his back 

 cut open to let out the pus, he will never be as staunch 

 after as before. 



Mahouts are the best abused servants in India, not 

 altogether undeservedly, but I think due allowance 

 should be made for all they go through in a day's 

 work. They are very apt, unless well looked after, to 

 allow an elephant to forage for himself, rather than be 

 at the trouble of bringing to camp his charah ; but 

 this must be insisted upon. If let loose, the poor 

 beast will go in search of food. He does not know the 

 difference between meum and tuum ; he will either get 

 no food or wander miles away, or if there be a village 

 anywhere near, he will destroy property for which you 

 will have to pay fourfold its value. Do not keep a 

 mahout you cannot trust. I think more can be done 

 by judicious kindness than by bullying, nagging, or 

 harsh treatment. Treat natives as you would children, 

 with a judicious mixture of kindness and firmness, but 

 if a man presumes or attempts to be impertinent, 

 make an example of him on the spot. There are 

 different varieties of elephants. An experienced 

 mahout will tell you by merely looking at an animal 

 from what country he comes. 



Of all I have had or seen, I think the Shan tuskers 

 were the handsomest. The Burmese are somewhat 

 smaller, many rather weedy, and very many of them 

 are mucknahs, or tuskless. The Assamese elephants 

 are large and handsome, and as " shikaries," second to 

 none. It is well known that the Cingalese elephants 

 are almost all of them tuskless, a tusker being a prize 

 indeed in that country. It is said that they and the 

 elephants of Sumatra are similar, and have a rib less 



