THE ELEPHANT IS CAPTURED. 253 



fully kept in darkness. Being alarmed by the noise and the flames, 

 the Elephants rush instinctively to the only open space, and are thus 

 fairly brought within the precincts of the keddah, from which they 

 never again emerge save as captives. 



The terrified animals run round and round the inclosure, and often 

 attempt a desperate charge, but are always driven back by the torch- 

 bearers, who wave their flaming weapons and discourage the captured 

 animals from their meditated assault. At last the poor creatures are 

 so bewildered and fatigued that they gather together in the centre of 

 the keddah, and are then considered to be ready for the professional 

 elephant-hunters. These courageous men enter the keddah either on 

 foot or upon the back of their koomkies, and contrive to tie every 

 one of the captives to some spot from whence it cannot move. Most 

 ingenious stratagems are employed by the hunters in this perilous 

 task, the details of which may be found in many works on the subject. 



The Elephant is always guided by a mahout, who sits astride upon 

 its neck and directs the movements of the animal by means of his voice, 

 aided by a kind of spiked hook, called the haunkus, which is applied 

 to the animal's head in such a manner as to convey the driver's wishes 

 to the Elephant. The persons who ride upon the Elephant are either 

 placed in the howdah, a kind of wheelless carriage strapped on the 

 animal's back, or sit upon a large pad, which is furnished with cross 

 ropes in order to give a firm hold. The latter plan is generally preferred, 

 as the rider is able to change his position at will, and even to recline 

 upon the Elephant's back if he should be fatigued by the heavy rolling 

 gait of the animal. The Elephant generally kneels in order to permit 

 the riders to mount, and then rises from the ground with a peculiar 

 swinging motion. Very small Elephants are furnished with a saddle 

 like that which is used upon horses, and is fitted with stirrups. The 

 saddle, however, cannot be conveniently used on animals that are more 

 than six feet in height. 



The size of Elephants has been greatly exaggerated, as sundry 

 writers have given fourteen or sixteen feet as an ordinary height, and 

 have even mentioned instances where Elephants have attained to that 

 of twenty feet. It is true that the enormous bulk of the animal makes 

 its height appear much greater than is really the case. Eight feet is 

 about the average height of a large Elephant, and scarcely any 

 Elephant measures much more than ten feet high at the shoulder. 



The general color of the Elephant is brown, of a lighter tint when 

 the animal is at liberty, and considerably deeper when its hide is sub- 

 jected to rubbing with a cocoa-nut brush and plenty of oil. Sometimes 

 an albino or White Elephant is seen in the forests, the color of the 

 animal being a pinky white, and aptly compared to the nose of a white 

 horse. The king of Ava, one of whose titles is "Lord of the White 



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