46 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



orders while the ladder is placed against their side for mounting. 

 Upon one occasion a badly-trained animal jumped up so suddenly 

 that Lady Haker, who had already mounted, was thrown off on 

 one side, while I, who was just on the top of the ladder, was 

 thrown down violently upon the other. A badly-tutored elephant 

 is exceedingly dangerous, as such vagaries are upon so large a scale 

 that a fall is serious, especially should the ground be stony. 



A calm and placid nature free from all timidity is essential. 

 Elephants are apt to take sudden fright at peculiar sounds and 

 sights. In travelling through a jungle path it is impossible to 

 foretell what animals may be encountered on the route. Some 

 elephants will turn suddenly round and bolt, upon the unexpected 

 crash of a wild animal startled in the forest. The scent or, still 

 worse, the roar of a bear within 50 yards of the road will scare 

 some elephants to an extent that will make them most difficult of 

 control. The danger may be imagined should an elephant 

 absolutely run away with his rider in a dense forest ; if the un- 

 fortunate person should be in a howdah he would probably be 

 swept off and killed by the intervening branches, or torn to shreds 

 by the tangled thorns, many of which are armed with steel-like 

 hooks. 



It is impossible to train all elephants alike, and very few can 

 be rendered thoroughly trustworthy ; the character must be born 

 in them if they are to approach perfection. 



Our present perfect example should be quite impassive, and 

 should take no apparent notice of anything, but obey his mahout 

 with the regularity of a machine. No noise should disturb the 

 nerves, no sight terrify, no attack for one moment shake the 

 courage ; even the crackling of fire should be unheeded, although 

 the sound of high grass blazing and exploding before the advancing 

 line of fire tries the nerves of elephants more than any other danger. 



An elephant should march with an easy swinging pace at the 

 rate of five miles an hour, or even six miles within that time upon 

 a good flat road. As a rule, the females have an easier pace than 

 the large males. When the order to stop is given, instead of 

 hesitating, the elephant should instantly obey, remaining rigidly 

 still without swinging the head or flapping the ears, which is its 

 inveterate and annoying habit. The well-trained animal should 

 then move backward or forward, either one or several paces, at a 

 sign from the mahout, and then at once become as rigid as a rock. 



Should the elephant be near a tiger, it will generally know the 

 position of the enemy by its keen sense of smell. If the tiger 

 should suddenly charge from some dense covert with the usual short 



