ELEPHANTS 295 



not killed, but merely maimed or injured, the Emperor 

 had him immediately thrown into the river, and there 

 left to drown. " He will be sure to hate me," the 

 Emperor would remark, " as the cause of his suffering. 

 It is better, therefore, that he should be sent to a world 

 where his hate can cause me no evil." 



These elephant-fights did not cease with the fall of 

 the Mogul empire. They were continued at the courts 

 of all the greater sovereigns among whom that empire 

 became divided, more especially at Lucknow. They 

 used to be there exhibited till within a few years 

 previous to the annexation. I have heard them 

 described by those who had seen them as the most 

 uninteresting of spectacles. The fight consisted of the 

 two elephants butting each other. This they continued 

 to do till one of the combatants had had enough. 

 Then he turned and fled, his adversary following and 

 butting him behind. Like as in a ram - fight, the 

 elephant that had once turned made no further resist- 

 ance. So long as the fight continued, each elephant 

 endeavoured to unseat the mahowt of his adversary ; 

 but I never heard of the mahowts being killed or 

 seriously injured. 



The elephants used for fighting were always the 

 largest and strongest that could be procured. On my 

 first visit to Lucknow, not very long after my arrival in 

 India, I accidentally saw one — I say accidentally, for I 

 came on it unawares. I was being shown over the 

 palace by the gentleman — one of the assistants to the 

 Resident — with whom I was staying. We had gone 

 through the palace itself, and were being conducted to 



