in THE ELEPHANT 49 



elephant's back which is not felt upon either the pad or the char- 

 jarma. The howdah is simply for shooting, as you can fire in any 

 direction, which is impossible from any other contrivance where 

 the rider sits in a constrained position. 



A good howdah should be made of exceedingly strong and tough 

 wood for the framework, dovetailed, and screwed together, the 

 joints being specially secured by long corner straps of the best iron. 

 The frame ought to be panelled with galvanised wire of the 

 strongest description, the mesh being one-half inch. The top rail, 

 of a hard wood, should be strengthened all round the howdah by 

 the addition of a male bamboo 1 J inch in diameter, securely lashed 

 with raw hide, so as to bind the structure firmly together, and to 

 afford a good grip for the hand. As the howdah is divided into two 

 compartments, the front being for the shooter, and the back part 

 for his servant, the division should be arranged to give increased 

 strength to the construction by the firmness of the cross pieces, 

 which ought to bind the sides together in forming the middle seat ; 

 the back support of which should be a padded shield of thick 

 leather, about 15 inches in diameter, secured by a broad strap of 

 the same material to buckles upon the sides. This will give a 

 yielding support to the back of the occupant when sitting. The 

 seat should lift up, and be fitted as a locker to contain anything 

 required ; and a well-stuffed leather cushion is indispensable. The 

 gun-rack should be carefully arranged to contain two guns upon the 

 left, and one upon the right of the sitter. These must be well and 

 softly padded, to prevent friction. The floor should be covered 

 either with thick cork or cork-matting to prevent the feet from 

 slipping. 



It must be remembered that a howdah may be subjected to the 

 most severe strain, especially should a tiger spring upon the head of 

 an elephant, and the animal exert its prodigious strength to throw 

 off its assailant. The irons for fastening the girths should there- 

 fore be of the toughest quality, and, instead of actual girths, only 

 thick ropes of cotton ought to be used. A girth secured with a 

 buckle is most dangerous, as, should the buckle give way, an 

 accident of the most alarming kind must assuredly occur. The 

 howdah ought to be lashed upon the elephant by six folds of the 

 strong cotton rope described, tightened most carefully before start- 

 ing. It should be borne in mind that much personal attention is 

 necessary during this operation, as the natives are most careless. 

 Two or three men ought to sit in the howdah during the process 

 of lacing, so as to press it down tightly upon the pad, otherwise it 

 will become loose during the march, and probably lean over to one 



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