AGGAJEERS. 359 



the woods, and know very little of the use of bread, 

 living entirely on the flesh of the beasts they kill, 

 chiefly that of the elephant and rhinoceros. They 

 are exceedingly thin, light, and agile, both on horse- 

 back and on foot ; are very swarthy, though few of 

 them are black ; none of them woolly-headed, and 

 all of them have European features. They are 

 called Aggajeers, a name of their profession,. not of 

 their nation, which comes from the word cigar, and 

 signiGes to hough or hamstring with a sharp wea- 

 pon more properly it means the cutting of the 

 tendon of the heel, and is a peculiarity of the 

 manner in which they kill the elephant, which is 

 shortly as follows : 



" Two men, absolutely naked, without any rag or 

 covering at all about them, get on horseback a pre- 

 caution adopted for fear of being laid hold of by the 

 trees or bushes, in making their escape from a very 

 watchful enemy. One of these riders sits upon the 

 back of the horse, sometimes with a saddle and 

 sometimes without one, with only a switch or short 

 stick in one hand, carefully managing the bridle 

 with the other. Behind him sits his companion, 

 who has no other arms but a broadsword, such 

 as is used by Sclavonians, and is brought from 

 Trieste. His left hand is employed in grasping the 

 sword by the handle. About fourteen inches of tin 1 

 blade is covered with whipcord. This part he takes 

 in his right hand, without any danger of being hurt 

 by it; and, though the edge of the lower part of 

 the sword is sharp as a razor, he carries it without 

 a scabbard. 



