><)u NATURAL HISTORY. 



in order to feast at his ease, he drags it along with 

 such ease to the forest, that the swiftness of his mo- 

 tion seems scarcely retarded by the enormous weight. 

 To give a still more complete idea of the strength 

 ef this terrible creature, we shall quote a passage from 

 Father Tachard, who was an eye-witness of a com- 

 bat of one tiger against three elephants at Siam. For 

 this purpose, the king ordered a lofty pallisade to be 

 built of bamboo cane, about an hundred feet square ; 

 and in the midst of this were three elephants to com- 

 bat the tiger. Their heads and part of their trunks 

 were covered with a kind of armour, like a mask, 

 which defended that part from the assaults of the 

 fierce animal with which they were to engage. As 

 soon, says this author, as we were arrived at the place, 

 the largest tiger we had ever seen was brought from 

 his den. He was not at first let loose, but held with 

 cords, so that one of the elephants approaching, gave 

 him three or four blows, with his trunk, on the back, 

 with such force, that the tiger was for some time 

 stunned, and lay without motion, as if he had been 

 dead. However, as soon as he was let loose, and at 

 full liberty, although the first blows had greatly abated 

 his fury, he made at the elephant with a loud shriek, 

 and aimed at seizing his trunk ; but the elephant, 

 wrinkling it up with great dexterity, received the tiger 

 on his great teeth, and tossed him up into the air. 

 This so discouraged the furious animal, that he no 

 more ventured to approach the elephant, but made 

 several circuits round the pallisade, often attempting 

 to fly at the spectators. Shortly after, a second and 

 then a third elephant were sent against him, which 

 struck him so terribly with their trunks, that he once 

 mare appeared dead; and they would certainly have 

 dispatched him, bjad not a stop been put to the combat. 



